Moleboheng Maoela
Nominee's Province:
Free State
Project Name/Description:
Lesedi FM
Moleboheng Maoela is an afternoon drive presenter at Lesedi FM. She was formerly with CUT FM 105.8 in Bloemfontein, where she started as a newsreader and went on to become a news editor, music compiler, current affairs anchor and drive time presenter. While with CUT FM, “Dark Chocolata” as she is famously known, made a name for herself as a force to be reckoned with in the urban youth radio space, going as far as bagging a couple of nominations at the South African Radio Awards in the Best Newsreader and Best Afternoon Drive Presenter categories respectively.
Additionally, she scooped the Best Newsreader Award at the 2017 CUT FM Awards, followed by another award in the same category at the 2018 Central University of Technology Vice-Chancellor Awards. “As a child growing up in the rural areas, radio was the only platform that connected and informed people and this was done by people we don’t even see and that sparked suspense and interested me,” she shares.
Broadcasting wonder women like Carol Tshabalala, Bridget Masinga, Carol Bouwer as well as Mamontha Motaung are some of the people she has benchmarks herself against.
As a woman co-presenting a prime time show, Maoela is aware it took a lot of perseverance by the past generations to be where they are. “Back then, those positions were only reserved for men and women who were put behind the microphone or on the screen just for their looks and to be told what and how to say things.”
