- Khutso's confidence and love for broadcasting comes from building confidence in herself.
- She adores married life and how much her partner accepts her.
- The radio star hopes to show more of her face through TV presenting.
- She encourages every citizen to vote in the presidential elections to make an impact for themselves and their community.
A hi fambeni! The one and only Khutso Theledi is in her 12th year of radio and so far, 2024 has been her year to shine.
Just coming off the excitement of the Metro FM Music Awards in her home province of Mpumalanga, exploring her singing talents as Cheetah on the second season of The Masked Singer South Africa and celebrating a beautiful marriage to her husband, Khutso is ready to jump into every facet of entertainment the country has to offer.
With 12 impactful years on radio already under her belt, where she shines on her Breakaway with Khutso Theledi mid-morning show on Metro FM alongside Somizi Mhlongo and Quinton ‘Naked DJ’ Masina on their Ask A Man segment, it came as a treat to get to pick her brain on the evolution of Mzansi’s radio scene.
A radio legend’s inner confidence
Glowing in a knitted dress with glittering makeup to match at the launch of Dove’s ceramide restoring body lotion range, Khutso shares with TRUELOVE how she’s noticed the growth of the broadcasting space, especially for Black women.
“Being able to co-host and start my radio journey reading traffic on a breakfast show as my first time being on radio, to being trusted. And I think leaving YFM at the time as the first drive time woman to do a show solo, there in itself says a lot about how women, Black women, are entrusted with the positions and the platforms. That they are blessed. And also, the way that Black women have been so courageous and how they portray who they truly are, authentically.”
READ MORE | Getting to know Khutso Theledi - 'What people don’t know about me is that I’m an introvert'
There’s no denying the strength and familiarity Khutso’s distinct voice but also her stage presence. From hosting a wide range of exciting gigs like the Soweto Derby, the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards and many more, she’s definitely at the top of her game.
Sharing how she keeps up that self-confidence, Khutso says, “I think you realise that life is short and there’s no time to redo this thing called life, right, there’s no retake. There is none – especially with somebody like myself who lost her father – I do this for my dad … I’ve just realised that, again, the confidence can only come from me. If not me then who and because I live, eat, breathe radio.”
Makoti wa Italy
Outside of Khutso’s impressive professional performance, wedding bells have rung for the radio star after tying the knot with her partner of seven years. That happened as successful slide in her direct messages since he first heard her on air. So, ladies, don’t ignore those DMs.
It’s clear the authentic and passionate love she has for her Italian beaux as she gushes to us about how married life is.
“Married and being a newly wed has been absolutely amazing. The best part about being married now is honestly getting to know my partner becoming my husband and I think also for myself becoming a wife, the way that I am given the opportunity to be me. He’s never wanted me to change who I am, especially being tin the industry.
“That’s why when you find the one, you know. And from the moment I got to meet him at our first date at Monte Casino and now we’re here as [man and wife]. But marriage has been absolutely amazing, we’ve made it uniquely ours, blocking the naysayers. Everyone will always have an opinion, but the most important opinion is ourselves.”
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People always wonder if the legality of marriage changes things or adds pressure to a relationship, and while Khutso had to ask herself that same questions when her partner proposed, she says that “nothing changed from me moving from my place to his place, nothing’s changed to where we are now. I think, again, it’s the stability you build with your person.”
The many talents of Khutso Theledi
Khutso is not afraid to venture into different avenues of her career and her talents that stretch her. This year, she tells us she hopes South Africa will get to know more of Khutso Theledi the face and not just the voice.
She has dreams of hosting awards ceremonies, television presenting and her own talk show just to name few goals. The broadcast personality is ready to show who she is, step out of her comfort zone and put Mzansi first, which is what she encourages every citizen to do as we gear up to vote for the next presidential party in the 29 May 2024 elections.
“I think more than anything, go in marking your X, realizing what betterment you feel you deserve. Not only for yourself but your community and the country … Don’t’ lose this opportunity. Don’t be that person that sits back and watches what you could've change, change comes because of your vote,” she implores.
In true Khutso fashion, she ends with, “A hi fambeni, let’s go vote.”
