‘I couldn’t sleep all night,’ says Clement Manyathela on his Adele moment

Broadcast journalist Clement Manyathela had a moment that millions of Adele fans would give an arm and a leg for, when he serendipitously had a moment on stage with the global music star.

“Even when I was leaving the concert venue, I became somewhat of a ‘celebrity’ in Germany,” said Manyathela in an interview.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Clement Manyathela (@clementmanyathela)

“Everybody was giving me hugs ‘Oh my God, do you know how lucky you are, I’m from Singapore and I hoped I could be on that stage’,” said Manyathela sharing some of the envious reaction he received after his moment on stage with the Someone Like You singer.

The 702 jock had a sit-down with author, broadcaster and lecturer, Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh on his podcast SMWX.

‘All I wanted was to get good tickets‘

Manyathela, who said that he tends to celebrate his birthday by going away as a form of gifting himself, was in Germany after deciding to purchase the show’s tickets in April.

“I always go away during my birthday and this year I realised Adele is gonna be in Munich in Germany, he said.

“I was like ‘I’m getting tickets’ and I got them immediately. All I wanted was to get good tickets, like the Golden Circle kind of tickets,” averred Manyathela, whose hopes were to be able to enjoy the show at somewhat of an arm’s length of the singer.

“When she was singing, she saw me singing along and she called me and another South African lady, whom I don’t know by the way. And then she called us on stage.

“I was shaking getting up the stairs. If you saw the video, all I was doing I wanted to capture the moment,” said Manyathela.

I MET @Adele ON MY BIRTHDAY. WTF. GOD IS FREAKEN GOOD! pic.twitter.com/KaPgpff3HQ

— Clement Manyathela (@TheRealClementM) August 11, 2024

The magnitude of the moment went over his head as it was happening, with Manyathela only coming to grips with what had just occurred hours later when he arrived at his hotel.

“I was caught up in a moment of shock,” the journalist admitted.

“In my mind, I didn’t even realise there are 80,000 people who are looking at me on stage. I was just recording trying to capture this moment with her. I only realised and took everything in probably when I got to the hotel.”

“When I got to the hotel, I couldn’t sleep all night. I just called my brother, and I called my sister and I was like ‘This just happened’ and I sat there and I took it in,” he said.

ALSO READ: Eusebius McKaiser resigns from 702, gets replaced by Clement Manyathela

Replacing Eusebius McKaiser

Manyathela, who is bred in one of Mpumalanga’s small towns Vaalbank, reflected on the pressures of replacing the late renowned broadcaster Eusebius McKaiser whom he venerated, on 702.

“I cried so much during that time. I did,” he said.

Manyathela said he initially turned down the offer to take up the coveted mid-morning slot which has now become The Clement Manyathela Show.

“I said ‘no’ for about two weeks. I’m not ready for the show, I’m still young, it’s Eusebius, are you crazy? Who takes over from Eusebius?” said the University of Pretoria graduate listing reasons why he shouldn’t take the job.

“I prayed a lot about it and I decided I’m going to take the job. It was the most difficult period of my life.”

Giggles for Trevor

About a year ago, South African comedian Trevor Noah was in the country to play a handful of shows and the Emmy-award-winning comic made a stop at The Clement Manyathela Show which left some of Manyathela’s listeners unimpressed.

“I went to the gym, probably two weeks or so after that interview…a guy comes to me and says ‘Hi, you’re Clement Manyathela …ja you know I love your show bro, I’m a big fan but I didn’t agree with you on one thing, the interview with Trevor’,” shared Manyathela on an interaction with a listener.

“‘ ‘You were too excited. You were giggling the whole time. I was like, ‘It’s Trevor Noah, what are you talking about? Do you want me to just close my eyes, of course I’m giggling’ because one, I’m a proud South African to be talking to someone that has put this country on the map.”

NOW READ: ‘I can’t work for government and then joke about it’ – Trevor Noah on tourism deal