|
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 |
|
Thabiso Kotane.
While working for one of Gauteng radio stations Thabiso Kotane made a startling discovery. His salary advice was accidentally swopped with one of his Indian colleagues and without noticing he went on to open the pay slip.
He discovered, with consternation, that his colleague, with whom he was doing the same job, was paid almost twice as much as he was paid. He resigned in disgust despite management’s endeavours to negotiate with him. He was pissed off with this racist conduct by the radio station and told the management where to get off.
Earlier on, he had also left another radio station because his supervisor was rude and arrogant, treating his subordinates like children. Realising that they had lost this gem, management instructed the rude supervisor to personally phone Kotane, apologise and ask him to return to work. Having made his point, Kotane returned and the supervisor changed her attitude.
Thabiso Kotane’s life can best be described as a rollercoaster. After completing matric he decided to train as a teacher at Soweto College of Education. However, while travelling to the college in a taxi he suddenly decided he wasn’t going to be a teacher and aborted the trip to the college.
The consequences were serious. Having turned his back on teaching, Kotane worked as car park attendant and cashier and had to deal with the consequences of his reckless decision.
Bored by his car park cashier career, Kotane turned his attention to radio and his first job was with BUA Community radio station as a late night DJ on Fridays and Saturdays.
In this job Kotane had the privilege of working with the likes of Sello Maake-Ka Ncube as show co-host. This was the beginning of a distinguished and illustrious radio career, making him one of the doyens of the industry in South Africa. The fact that he works for Capricorn FM is a real scoop for the new station in Limpopo.
“I honestly never expected to work for a radio station in Limpopo Province, considering my profile in the industry and the exciting life in Gauteng. However, Given Mkhari prevailed on me to leave the bright lights of Jozi and trek up north.
Ultimately I looked at Limpopo as a challenge and decided that perhaps it was time to leave the comfort zone of Gauteng and explore new and virgin opportunities in Limpopo,” explains Capricorn FM’s news editor and talk show host.
Today Thabiso Kotane is a household name in Limpopo as host of the 18h00 – 19h00 Monday to Friday talk show. While Capricorn FM seems to appeal more to young people for its groove, Kotane hosts one of the programmes which while it appeals to the youth as well, most certainly attracts the attention of older and more mature audience because of the choice and quality of topics chosen by Kotane.
He is continuing to build rapport with an ever increasing group of regular callers, enlivening the show and making it truly exciting and worth listening to. Thabiso Kotane has proven in just one year as talk show with Capricorn FM that he is a true professional. He has this incredible capacity to remain cool and unruffled under serious provocation.
A case in point was when he gave different youth organisations a platform to campaign for their parties and one of them kept on accusing him of being biased towards a certain particular party. When listeners appeared to be losing their patience with the provocative young man, Kotane kept his cool and steered the debate very professionally indeed.
Kotane’s experience in radio spans a period exceeding a decade. He has worked for the best of radio stations in Gauteng and has also worked with the best personalities in the industry.
His repertoire includes Bua Community Radio, Voice of Soweto, Classic FM, Metro FM, and Kaya FM.
Thabiso also had a stint in television. He joined Summit T.V. in 1998 and produced “Its Your Business” programme whose main focus was the empowerment of emerging SMMEs. This job also gave him an opportunity to travel overseas. Kotane was also a founder member of the hard hitting “Third Degree” programme on eTV.
At this juncture Kotane sits at the pinnacle of his career as news editor and talk show host of Limpopo’s “hottest frequency,” leading a team of relatively inexperienced journalist who depend so much on his experience and guidance.
On his show he has hosted the Who’s Who of Limpopo including the Premier, MECs, Mayors, business leaders and many others. He also hosted Jacob Zuma and his daughter when the ANC President visited the province early in the year.
Asked about his darkest moment in life Kotane reminisces, “when my grandmother passed away in 1998 I felt a deep loss for someone I loved so much. She was my hero and encouraged me to do my best and change the world. Every time I achieve something I feel she should have been with me to celebrate with me.”
Talking to Kotane one gets a feeling that this man was born for radio. Radio is his life and perhaps as a natural this explains why despite his major successes in the industry, he doesn’t boast major qualifications. He did Public Relations and economics studies at Wits.
His main qualification as a journalist is the result of scholarship that he obtained that took him to Germany to study radio journalism.
Thabiso comes to life when he explains how he got his current wife Nthabiseng. “She was one of the prettiest girls in my neighbourhood and she was in demand. I kept my distance and gave her the impression that I wasn’t going to chase after her.
She also appeared uninterested in me until one evening when a common friend brought her to my farewell party at one of the stations that I worked for. That’s when we both confessed our mutual attraction and we started dating.Since then I have had a wonderful marriage and really love her,” enthused the smitten radio boss.
About his future, Kotane explains that he would like to be involved in the development of young people. “We need to ensure that young people acquire skills that will position them to make a meaningful contribution to society. I would like to participate in this national effort to empower young people where I am best placed to do so. I will do my part.”
|
|
|
Google Links |
What would happen to your family if you should not be able to care for them due to an accident? You can protect you family now!
No medical required! Click Here!
|
|
|
|
Virgin Active Polokwane Club |
|
|
|
Cappello : Design-A-Breakfast |
|
|
|
Connect My Schoo To The World |
|
|
|
|
2010 Countdown |
| Count to | 11. June 2010, 23:59 | | Time left | 0 days
0 hours
0 minutes |
|
|
Event Calendar |
 |
September 2010 |
 |
|
|
|
info@polokwanecity.co.za
