Lesedi FM host and former Jam Alley presenter Seipati "DJ Twasa" Seoke
Longevity is a thing only a few can celebrate in the South African media industry and Lesedi FM DJ Seipati Seoke (popularly known as DJ Twasa) can be counted among such people.
In a heartfelt and lengthy LinkedIn post to start the year, Twasa reflected on her decades working at the SABC as well as her choice to build a career broadcasting in Sesotho when many felt as though working in English seemed like the better choice.
“The 3rd January 2022 marked exactly 22 years of broadcasting on Lesedi FM – SABC. I have progressed from the midnight show to being [the] co-host of the biggest show in the station, Monate Breakfast Show with well over 1.3 [million] listeners,” wrote Twasa.
“If there is anything I have learned from my most successful predecessors, such as Mme Pontsho Makhetha, it is that consistency of excellence in delivery and seasonally reinventing yourself that anchors you in the game,” she added.
Reminiscing on the interview she had prior to getting the job, Twasa believes it is her motivation that helped her get her foot in the door.
“I seek to be a person that will inspire the imagination of the urban and village child to consider the possibility of being a key player in the upward mobility of their own life, family and community.
“Radio is that platform that gives me access to both worlds while doing so in a language that enshrines ‘home’ for many, Sesotho”.
She went to explain that she intended to challenge the perception that African languages are outdated, old and dying.
“…that as the young ‘bridge’ generation, one who lived under both apartheid and democracy, I intended to be one of the young people that will challenge the perception that African languages lack glamour, energy and intelligence.”
She counts herself among the youth that sought to champion the next phase of the struggle for our emancipation as a people.
“Youth that will inspire confidence in our abilities, heritage and dreams. I was haunted by Stephen Bantu Biko’s words, ‘black man, you are on your own.’ I hope to have at least scratched the surface in this regard over the 22 years. Well, that was the plan and I committed it to prayer as I made the effort on each show to bring my best,” wrote Twasa.
She concluded her reflection by stating: “I know that the battle is, by far, bigger than me, but I hope that one has inspired some young women and men to aspire for and rise to positions of influence in whatever field of work they have chosen. And to bring value to those fields and society. There are many challenges that persist, and I hope to continue to be a voice that inspires positive change over the airwaves.”
In 2019, Sowetan reported that Twasa was set to leave the station after 19 years due to the fact that her contract had not been renewed and no reason had been given as to why.
Her radio career began in 1999 at a community station called QwaQwa Radio. The following year, she joined Lesedi FM and has been at the station ever since.
She also hosted the SABC1 youth show Jam Alley between 2003 and 2011.