One of Mzansi’s longest-running reality TV shows – “Idols SA” – is nearing the end of its eighteenth season.
This past week, it grabbed headlines for two reasons. First, it clocked 14 million votes in the build-up to Sunday’s Top 5 announcement.
Second, Thapelo Molomo, a warrant officer with the South African Police Service (SAPS), received a shout-out from his colleagues. This revelation took followers by surprise on social media.
And it certainly piqued a lot of curiosities around Molomo, 29, who is from the village Diretsaneng in Limpopo, and is now based in Pretoria.
Last Sunday, the hopeful crooned his way into favour with judge JR Bogopa when he belted out “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men.
Bogopa said: “It sounded like the Gladys Knight rendition that everyone loves. Thapelo, you’re a star.”
For his next performance of the night, he hit all the right notes with Jabu Khanyile’s “Sponky Ponky”, impressing Thembi Seete.
She said: “I love your song choices – you know that you’re gonna have a good time. That was another beautiful performance.”
The drawcard judge on the show is Somizi Mhlongo, who was dropped from the panel in the middle of last season, following abuse allegations that were made by his estranged husband Mohale Motaung.
So who is Molomo and how did he come to enter “Idols SA”?
The 29-year-old hopeful, who has an unmistakably Zen personality, explained: “I studied for my honours in psychology at the University of Venda from 2013 to 2017.
“But after matric, I had an issue with my certificate, so I decided to audition for the Spirit Of Praise choir, led by Pastor Benjamin Dube. This was in 2012.”
His gravitation towards music has been inherent since childhood.
After Molomo graduated, he interned as a trauma counsellor at the SAPS for a year and then took a break.
It was in 2021 that he joined as a psychologist at the SAPS Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) in Brits, North West Province.
A year later, he is on the “Idols SA” stage.
In reconciling his passion for singing with his profession, he shared: “It syncs very well with my career as a psychologist. For me, music is about healing. My job is also about bringing comfort and restoring hope with regards to mental health.”
Molomo is the father of a four-month-old baby girl, Omthatile. He is the youngest of six siblings, and his mum is late.
He feels he was “born with this gift to heal” and is doing it in different ways.
He added: “Music is my ministry. Being a psychologist, they sync very well.”
Should he make it through the next round, he will be joining the remaining contestants to record a single.
Of course, should he get to the finals and make it to the end, that’s a life-changing moment - and one he is well-equipped to deal with.
He added: “Before I came here I had to prepare my mind for all of that. Winning the title for me, yoh, would mean the beginning of greater things with regard to my music journey.
“But I’m not going to leave the SAPS. They have been so supportive and I love being there. I would definitely multi task.”
In showbiz, we’ve seen many celebrities pivot from regular jobs when their fortunes changed.
For example, when he won the South African Music Award (Samas) for Best Pop Album for his debut album, “IV”, in 2016, much was made of the fact that Tresor was previously a car guard and security guard.
The multi-award-winning, multi-platinum, pop star had spoken at great lengths about his time travelling the continent after he was orphaned in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and his time as a guard in Durban.
In the six years since Tresor has won several more Samas, and established himself as arguably the top pop artist in South Africa.
Last year, Tresor earned global plaudits when he wrote and produced the single “Fountains” on Drake’s record-breaking album, “Certified Lover Boy”.
He followed that up by writing, producing and contributing additional vocals on Drake’s recent dance album, “Honestly, Never Mind”.
I think it’s safe to say he’s making a lot more than the coins he was hustling for in Durban all those years ago.
Elsewhere, in an episode of the recent season of Kelly Khumalo’s reality show “Life with Kelly Khumalo”, the afro-pop star revealed that before she became a music sensation and a reality TV star, she was a lash tech.
For those who don’t know, a lash tech (or eyelash technician) is a specialised beauty professional that specialises in the application or maintenance of fake eyelashes.
I know it’s hard to imagine the flamboyant and hasty Khumalo having the patience to apply lashes on a stranger.
Also, before actress Mapaseka Koetle-Nyokong became a famous actress, she worked several menial jobs.
Not only did she work at a call centre and as a receptionist at some construction company, but she also worked as a promo girl at malls and clubs in Bloemfontein.
Today, she’s worked on major local productions like “Scandal!” and is a Forbes 30 under 30 alumni, thanks to her various business ventures.
A few years ago, comedian Skhumbuzo “Skhumba” Hlophe, at the time already a popular stand-up comedian and radio presenter, revealed that he had a day job as a senior human resources officer.
He went on to describe comedy as a “paying hobby” in an interview before revealing that he loved being an “employed comedian”.
While it remains unclear whether Skhumba still has a day job, it sure is interesting that despite his success he still found the need to work a 9-5.
What we do know is, nowadays Skhumba is as popular as ever and is currently in the midst of a comedy tour dubbed “As I Was Saying”.
Surely he’s quit his job now. Just imagine being called in for a meeting with HR and being faced with the funny man. There’s just no way you’d be able to keep a straight face.
If history has taught us anything, it is that the possibilities are endless and who knows where Molomo’s journey will take him. But it certainly is nice to see a positive story about a police officer, for a change!
Read the latest IOL Entertainment digi mag here.