Thabiso Khambule

Growing up in the small village of Dithakong East, 15km outside Mafikeng, a young Thabiso Khambule would sit for hours recording his own voice, editing his ‘reports’ and then playing them back to himself – loving the sound of hearing his own voice ‘on the radio’. Today he is a familiar voice to thousands of Jacaranda FM listeners as he guides them through the traffic each day with his traffic reports.

A career in radio was always within me,” says Khambule. “But it seemed there were so many people following this career that I decided to choose an alternative route, studying travel and tourism with Boston City Campus & Business College instead.”

“One of the people I really admire is DJ Fresh, who himself graduated at Boston. So I called him to ask how to get into radio. He invited me into the studio and showed me around. I spent quite a bit of time visiting and observing and while I tried to get a job at stations such as Metro and 5FM. It was Fresh who suggested widening my search to other stations including Jacaranda FM, as I am totally fluent in both English and Afrikaans,” explains Khambule.

After two months of training, Khambule made his debut traffic report on Jacaranda FM and his dream of hearing his voice on the airwaves became a reality.“I love my job – I am responsible for monitoring various traffic services, putting the traffic report together and giving this information out on air. I really enjoy helping people through the traffic and the response from listeners is great. You feel so good when you have made someone’s day a bit easier by getting them to work or home safely and with less stress,” he says.

Khambule also enjoys the interaction with the DJ’s, especially icons like Barney Simon with whom he has built a special relationship. However, this rising star has big plans for the future – he has proved himself at Jacaranda and he is currently on the Breakfast show after moving from the daytime traffic slot. He also hopes to one day get his own show and TV is also on his agenda.

“I am excited about the future and my message to youngsters starting out is that they need to realise they need patience and they need to be dedicated – whether it is to their studies or to their job. Never take “no” for an answer and keep chasing after your dream.

”I’m an experienced radio personality on Jacaranda FM with a passion for giving listeners an enjoyable and engaging experience. I have over eight years of experience presenting & compiling traffic reports, music, co-hosting, contributing, making promotional appearances, and interviewing high-profile guests.

I’m also a DJ and MC, showcasing my talents every Friday 17:10 on Jacaranda FM’s The Scenic Drive with Rian (The Thabiso Khambule “Lallie’s Mix”), whereby I make a 8 minute music mix that is the most diverse music mix you’ll ever hear on radio in South Africa!