THABO BALOYI

News Broadcaster | Writer | Voice Artist

Show(s):

News: 5 Breakfast, Monday to Friday, 6 to 9 a.m.

Social Handles:

Instagram: @therealmrbaloyi,

Twitter: @Thabo_Baloyi_

BRIEFLY:

Thabo Baloyi joined 5FM in June 2022.

He began his career on campus radio in 2015. He describes himself as an eternal optimist who is always keen to take on a challenge.

He is an avid consumer of news and admits he has a questionable obsession with Judge Judy. He is also a collector of books – his favourites are Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

He is currently studying towards an honours degree in Communications.

Thabo had a brief stint on television and worked as a news journalist on various radio stations before joining 5FM.

QUICKFIRE Q&A:

If you had to sum up yourself in 10 seconds, what would you say?

A social misfit with a curious mind and a love for pretzels and chicken wings.

Where were you born and raised?

Pretoria, the best city in the world!

In which towns have you lived and where are you living currently?

Nelspruit, Johannesburg and Pretoria. I currently live in Johannesburg.

Which languages can you speak?

Xitsonga, English and Setswana

What are your favourite towns or cities visited in SA and abroad?

Cape Town, Nelspruit, Shenzen and Guangzhou.

What are your hobbies?

Watching classic films, binge-watching series, reading a juicy novel, cooking and baking (I’m REALLY good in the kitchen).

What is the craziest thing you’ve done?

When I was in primary school, a friend bet R50 that I couldn’t walk home, which was about 12 km away. Keen to prove him wrong, I actually did, but I got into trouble with my mom - and he never gave me the R50.

What’ll Google say you search for most often?

Essays, news stories, easy dinner recipes and good bargains on gadgets.

5 famous people, living or not, that you would have a kuier with?

Naomi Campbell, Lil Nas X, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Murphy and Kim Jong-Un.

Favourite movies and / or series of all time?

Matilda, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, The O.C and The Golden Girls.

Describe your home’s interior style?

Nothing to write home about really, just a plain couch, a few pillows and some tupperware!

Which hash tags best describe your fashion sense?

#WhatFashionSense #SlapOnWhateverFits #GetThingsDone

What is your ideal holiday, described in one line?

Somewhere far away from civilisation, but with a good Wi-Fi connection and breakfast buffet.

Which things would you most want to learn to do?

To swim, to moonwalk and playing the violin.

A hidden talent that you could probably get paid for:

Believe it or not, I can actually sing!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Flying.

Which sports, if any, do you watch?

The closest thing to sports I’ve watched was Madonna’s Superbowl Halftime performance.

Which causes are you really passionate about?

Mental health and empowering the youth through education.

What are the top things on your bucket list?

Being in the Saturday Night Live audience and attend one of those two-day music festivals where everyone is partying too hard to even hear the music.

Which things in the world (and people) do you dislike?

Politicians and their flagrant disregard for injustices facing the very people who voted them into power.

Which things make the world (and people) awesome?

Definitely has to be humanity. There is so much comfort in knowing that there are people among us who extend their love and compassion, especially to those need it the most.

What’s your favourite thing about your 5FM gig?

Everyone is genuinely pleasant and the team I work with has become family.