Pretoria - Having defied the odds, negotiating his way through the concrete jungle of Gauteng without his parents, Rorisang Matea aims to empower young people on the streets of Pretoria.
The award-winning sports broadcaster at Ga-Rankuwa FM, who is also a Setswana football commentator, urges ordinary people in Pretoria’s townships to give it their all.
After both his parents died, Matea was left with his younger sister and has not looked back.
“Every single day when I’m offered an opportunity to be on air I make sure the content I prepare caters for an ordinary guy on the street. I think that differentiates me from my colleagues who are working for other local media houses.”
The 29-year-old father of a 3-year-old daughter says his audience is diverse and very appreciative of the work he produces.
“Most of the stories I cover relate to the people in the streets because I cover strictly local content. My aim is to unleash raw talent from the dusty streets of Tshwane through the power of radio.”
Seasoned football journalist Batho-Bareng Kortjaas (BBK) inspired Matea to work at the radio station which is listened to by nearly 20 000 people.
“I was inspired by BBK despite him being on the print side of things. I used to read a lot of his opinion pieces and stories that he covered for TV as well, and I realised that I was passionate about following in his footsteps, but writing was not something I wanted to push.
“I opted for radio instead and since then I haven’t looked back.
“Also in high school during presentation, I always preferred reciting commentary, so that was a plus as well for me to venture into sports.”
Matea recently bagged an award for commentating in the Easter football games in Pretoria, and in appreciation for doing commentary at the Noks City Soccer Festival Top 16.
“I had mixed emotions,” he said. “This was my first award ever since I kicked off this road of sports broadcasting.
“It was mixed emotions because I wish at least one of my parents was still alive to see the fruits of what I’m passionate about.
“It is slowly paying off and I think this award has opened up for more to follow. I cherish it almost every day and I thank everyone who has contributed to my journey thus far.”
The media industry has come under serious financial challenges in recent years, which Matea concedes.
“The advent of technology has brought about pros and cons for the broadcasting space. The generation of revenue has plummeted because there are more platforms where people can tune in and grasp whatever information (they want) without waiting for a specific time.
“Also, broadcasters are fighting for the same audience, and one needs to be creative in order to win them over.”
He joined Ga-Rankuwa FM in April last year and says working for the station has been a journey for him.
“The platform has offered me an opportunity to spearhead local sports, which in my opinion a lot of community radios are neglecting.”
He adds that the journey of sports broadcasting has helped him build a name for himself in the industry.
“Since I began this journey back in 2015 with Soshanguve Community Radio, I have managed to cover the CAF Confederation Cup final at Lucas Moripe Stadium involving SuperSport United and TP Mazembe of Congo.”
Matea has, under his belt, coverage of the CAF Super Cup final between Sundowns and TP Mazembe at Loftus Versfeld Stadium and the 2016 Rugby Championship Tour which involved the Springboks, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina in 2016.
“I believe that, in every industry, growth is the ultimate goal, be it promotion or otherwise. My plan is to progress as a Setswana football commentator and a sports reporter.
“I have goals that I want to achieve and I’ve set myself targets to fulfil them, especially in radio.”
Pretoria News