A young aspiring deejay(DJ), Mmathapelo Botha who was born and bred in Enselsrust village in Mahikeng North West. She moved to KwaThema Springs at the age of 16. Botha started her journey as a DJ in 2015, she was inspired by DJ Arch Jnr who won SA’s got Talent.
She shares her journey with Ekurhuleni News that, “In 2015 I met the Late Paul Mahlangu (DJ Teddy SA) who taught me the basics of deejaying but due to lack of equipment he recommended to Teblet Multimedia Academy in Thokoza, unfortunately I did not finish my course there due to financial tuition.
But I did not give up, I kept on going with DJ Teddy to his gigs just to see how it works in the industry. I remember my first big gig was in my village where I was the first female DJ as I was mentored by Gaboutlwele Suggestor Msimanga who has been in the industry for more than a decade. He always encouraged me to work hard so I can become one of the biggest DJs from our province. Sadly, I had a huge stage fright that prevented me from showcasing my talent in most places. I stopped deejaying because I couldn’t stand the crowd.”
She unpacks her experience, stating that, “In 2017 when I was in matric I lost my equipment due to housebreaking. I felt so sad because it made me feel like it was the end of my career. The ordeal affected me right through my preliminary and final exams during my matric year, because I was trying to cope with the trauma of losing my equipment. Early January 2018 when I passed my matric my father bought me equipment for deejaying and erected a studio for me at home.
I continue showing my talent at local events both in Mahikeng & Springs which are house parties, weddings as well as baby showers. I then enrolled at South west Gauteng College in Dobsonville to study Sound Engineering.
I dedicated 1 year 6 months to my studies and I managed to finish in time although in 2019 November I lost my mom. I then had to cancel my December and January gigs because I could not take it. I came back in 2020 to hustle for an internship to complete my diploma, I was lucky to volunteer at SaumaHD Radio but during that time another opportunity came from KAYA FM. I then got exposed to the big names such as Tbose as well as Proverb. I was fortunate to be under the leadership of Thomas Manamela as I was exposed to more opportunities in media such as voice over artist, production coordinating and more. I’m grateful for the strength God gave me as I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Botha concludes that “I’m grateful for my mother’s support as she never doubted my career choices, she was so proud of me, she was always supportive, and I’m also grateful for the support from my grandmother and aunt because they are the people holding my hand right now. 2021 is currently slow due to covid-19 regulations, So invitation to gigs are a bit slow but I have managed to score myself post as a resident Deejay at UJ FM from the beginning of April 2021, and for that I am grateful.”
By Vuyokazi Bam
