As at home behind the mic as she is working with victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV), Mamohau Seseane is using her profile as one of Joburg’s favourite broadcasters to raise awareness around the causes she believes in.
Given that Mamohau Seseane was a member of the debate and public speaking teams, sang in the choir and took part in musical theatre at her school, St Dunstan’s in Benoni, it’s really no surprise that she has been embraced by the entertainment industry. You could say that her destiny lay behind the broadcasting desk and the TV camera. Although she wasn’t always so sure.
That’s because her other passion, social justice, lurks very close to the skin. “I was raised by a single mom who did everything she could to help the people in our community – she’d always stop to offer a pedestrian a lift, she donated to orphanages and assisted those less fortunate, and if someone at school was having a hard time, they knew they’d have a place in our home,” Mamohau recalls. This meant that compassion was already engrained in her makeup when she went to university, where she studied law (she’s still working on that LLB, by the way – squeezing in assignments in between wardrobe calls, shooting her segment on eTV’s The Morning Show SA, speaking engagements and her radio show, 947 Weekends with Mamohau. But she became even more aware of the world’s injustices as she supplemented her formal studies by reading philosophy, feminist literature, and African authors. “It all made me braver, gave me a resolve to stand up for what is right,” she says. That resolve was strengthened by movements like #FeesMustFall which were shaking up campuses around the country and shedding a spotlight on social justice issues right at the time she was hitting the books at the University of Stellenbosch.
So, how did her plans to become a human rights lawyer get derailed? It all started with a call out for auditions for the university’s campus radio station, MFM 92.6. Mamohau beat out hundreds of hopefuls to gain a slot, and hadn’t been behind the desk very long before she received an unexpected call … she had been scouted by KFM 94.5, becoming one of the station’s youngest presenters. It wasn’t easy. Mamohau had travelled the trains between Stellenbosch and Cape Town so that she could get to the station on time for her graveyard shift, finishing at 4am – then commuting back to varsity to start class.
She did the commercial radio thing for a few years, then made the impulsive move – “which was completely out of character” – to take a break from the industry and return to her Joburg roots.
Instead of sitting things out, though, she was invited to join 94.7’s crew. “It was amazing. I’d received the call on Thursday evening and was invited to do a show on Saturday. I had never visited the studio before, didn’t know the desk – it was like, ‘Swim, girlie.’”
So, she swam – no way was she going to pass up the opportunity to work with a brand that had been part of her life growing up. “Plus, I love the station’s style of radio and how they connect with people,” she says.
That connection is all important. As Mamohau points out, when you’re on radio, you’re speaking to hundreds of thousands of people – but you’re also directly addressing that one girl or guy who is listening in their car, jamming to the songs you choose and thinking about what you have to say.
And that’s the person she’s most interested in. “Radio is a powerful thing. It’s your comfort, your escape. It’s what lets you know that everything is going to be ok. I think that, given the current state of the world, there’s a lot to be said for that. It’s a wonderful thing, to be joyous, and to give each other joy.” If she can do that with just one person, she’s pleased.
More than that, Mamohau is using the space she has as a public persona to bring attention to the organisations and institutions she believes are doing good work. Her TV work also plays a role here. Her segment on The Morning Show, Know Your Rights, is dedicated to doing just that – empowering viewers by bringing in legal experts to teach them about their rights, a topic which chimes with her area of study. “I think that, as citizens of this country, we all have the responsibility to do whatever we can to make this a better place – even if it’s something small.”
Mamohau isn’t quite sure that she’ll be joining the legal fraternity any time soon. “If it’s written in the stars for me, then I will. But whatever I do in future, I have to be able to make an impact. I love the fact that I can do that now, as a broadcaster. In this industry, we have the unique position of being able to speak to various sectors of society, and if we can do that in a way that’s smart, we can make something incredible happen.”
And her advice to the other women who share her ambitions and aspirations? “Society might not change for us – but we can change the way we show up in spaces that want us to shrink.”
There are so many ways to create your little bit of change – but it all starts with “stepping outside yourself,” Mamohau maintains. “I think that we all tend to focus on ourselves, and we live very siloed lives – but reaching out to help someone is a transformative experience that can make life richer and more beautiful.” Start small: make sandwiches, donate your old clothes, get your friend group to help with a charity instead of going to breakfast, share your knowledge with youngsters in your industry. Every bit makes a difference.
Details: Catch Mamohau on 947 every Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 6pm, watch her weekdays 6am to 8.30am on etv’s The Morning Show SA, or check out her Insta: @mamohau_s
Text: LISA WITEPSKI
