Johannesburg - It’s been a special year for Thando Thabethe, a year filled with plenty of awards and nominations for the renowned radio presenter and international actress.
Earlier this year, the actress walked away with a South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for her role on the Netflix hit show How To Ruin Christmas: The Baby Shower.
She also secured a nomination for Best Actress in a TV Drama for season three of Housekeepers .
But it isn't just her career as an actress that is soaring.
As a radio host, Thabethe is flying high.
This year, she was nominated for the Radio Presenter of the Year Award at the annual Basadi in Music Awards and won the Sunday Times’ GenNext “Coolest Radio Personality”.
She has now scored yet another nomination, this time at the South African Radio Awards.
The radio personality and international actress is the only female nominated at this year’s South African Radio Awards.
The trailblazing radio broadcaster has been nominated for the Commercial Presenter Award and the Commercial Afternoon Drive Show Award.
She started her radio career at UJ FM in 2008 and then joined popular youth radio station YFM.
Thabethe joined 947 as the official drive time host in 2021 and is behind the voice that entertains the nation on airways weekdays on Drive with Thando.
No stranger to the South African Radio Awards, the star bagged two awards in 2022 for the Best Afternoon Drive Presenter and Best Afternoon Drive Show Awards.
The Saturday Star caught up with Thabethe to chat about her latest nomination as well as her career as a whole.
How does it feel to be the only female to be nominated at this year's SA Radio Awards?
It is an honour, but I think I look forward to having many more females nominated in this category and more women being trusted with bigger slots within the radio sphere. Two or three more female names won't hurt.
What does it take to be a great radio host?
Time behind the mic makes the biggest difference. Radio experience is something that can't be faked. There is a sort of comfortability that time behind the mic gives you. You have to be yourself. People tune into radio shows to listen to a friend, like its a conversation.
Who are some of your favourite female radio hosts?
One of my all- time favourites has to be Dineo Ranaka, especially during her time at YFM. I am also a talk radio fan. I enjoyed the likes of Redi Tlhabi, Azania Mosaka.
How much preparation goes into getting ready for your Drive Time Radio show?
A lot. We are a big team with very important roles. We prepare for each show at the very least the day before, but we have weekly meetings where we come up with big ideas that we want to execute in the month or within that week. My show is also very big on what it sounds like, so things like our music are important to us. If we are touching on matters that are in the news, we try to pitch the interviews first. You are only as great as your last show.
Why do you think your Drive Time Radio Show is so popular ?
We have fun and have frank, difficult taboo conversations. Gone are the days when you take a news story and turn it into a topic or something topical on the radio. Some of the best shows come from organic conversations that I have over the weekend. It's frank, honest conversations. It's conversational. It doesn't feel like we are presenting. It feels like we are having fun for three hours. People really enjoy that.
How important is it that we have a large representation of females on radio?
It's crazy that 947 is the only station in the country that has two female radio presenters, which is myself and Anele Mdoda, at the helm of the two drive time shows. It's important to have female voices. Gone are the days when females are just put in that 9 to12 slot or somewhere where people aren't listening. We are seeing a little bit of a shift, but I think it can happen quicker.
What would you single out as your favourite Drive Time Radio show you’ve done so far?
Yoh! That is a difficult question. I have only done three. I started out with Roger Goode. That was a great learning experience. I did traffic. I watched how the sound - which I now have put into my radio shows - is so important. I went on to do a drive time show on 5FM with Msizi James .I really enjoyed that. And now, on 947 with Matt and Lerato, I am having a great time. Each experience was different for different reasons. But I think the core of all of them , which I keep speaking about, is that I loved the people I have worked with. It's very hard to single out a favourite drive time show. But the current one, which is now a one time radio award winning show, could be the best.
You also won an award for your role in How To Ruin Christmas?
I loved working on that show. It didn’t feel like work. We were tasked with laughing and making people laugh. People enjoy things when you are having fun while creating them. I played a pregnant woman in the last season, which was challenging but also a lot of fun. Would I say it's my favourite character so far? Definitely one of them. It’s hard to single out one character because, as an actor, you fall in love with every character you play.
You’ve achieved so much already. What do you aim to achieve in your future?
I think there's always something to do and something to create. I’ve got my Thabootys underwear range, which has now been running for seven years. I look forward to growing it bigger. I look forward to creating a legacy with that. I look forward to it living beyond me. I also got my production company, Redwood productions, which produces the reality show ‘Unstoppable Thabooty’, and I hope to also produce a lot of scripted content under Redwood productions.
What advice would you give to young females in SA looking to follow in your footsteps?
Put in the time. I think a lot of people think that things happen overnight. They don't. You can't fast forward. There is no fast track to a successful career. Its also important to enjoy the journey. We aim to be the best immediately, but there's such beauty and scenery in the long route taken.