Kgopi joins the news team
"A village boy who is chasing his dream to become one of the best political journalists the country has ever produced."
This is how Kgopi Mabotja describes himself.
Kgopi was born and raised in GaMashamaite, Moletsie, in Limpopo. He is the new journalist in the EXPRESS and Bedfordview and Edenvale NEWS newsroom, with a particular focus on the Modderfontein area.
He said he wanted to be a doctor but the journalism bug stung him during a career exhibition hosted by the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Polokwane several years ago.
“There were presenters from Thobela FM, an SABC SePedi radio station. Among them was one of my idol presenters, William ‘Willy’ Mosoma. I liked the way he presented his show and I wanted to do something similar one day,” he said.
He added that he grew up listening to news shows from Thobela FM and SAFM.
Some of the presenters Kgopi grew up listening to include Nthabiseng Boya and Lemson Moropjane.
Kgopi’s parents are teachers and he is one of four children. His father wanted him to be a teacher.
“My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He helped me register at TUT in Soshanguve. For some reason we could not finish registering on the first day and he had to go back home. I then went, without consulting my parents, to register for journalism,” he said.
In his first month as a journalism student, he secured a slot to present Life at Six, a current affairs show on TUT FM. The show was a one hour show from 6pm. He presented the show until he finished his national diploma.
Kgopi has written for different newspapers and online publications in Polokwane. He also worked at a regional radio station, Capricorn FM, where he presented sports over the weekend.
He said he hopes to learn more during his time at the Joburg East EXPRESS and Bedfordview and Edenvale NEWS.
“I am an open-minded person. We have different cultures, languages and beliefs, but we are one nation. We need to be tolerant towards each other, so that we may have a better country for future generations,” said Kgopi.
“I will be listening to everyone’s stories and I hope to encourage dialogue in the community. I will also keep the community informed and make a difference,” he said,
