Friends, colleagues celebrate 'T-Bose' Mokwele as he turns 50

For Thabo “T-Bose” Mokwele, turning 50 means living as youthful as he possibly can. 

The veteran broadcaster has amassed an incredible listenership in a period spanning over 20 years, making him one of the trusted and respected voices in local radio.

“The boy from Tembisa”, as he's sometimes fondly referred to by fans, launched his career on the airwaves in 1997 at 23 years old, and is reinventing himself to still be relevant today.

To celebrate his 50th, which he turned on January 12, his colleagues, friends and family threw him a surprise party last Thursday at the Kaya 959 building in Rosebank. 

To pull it off, he was tricked into a cancelled meeting in Midrand, which delayed his regular time of arrival of 7am at the radio station.

“I’m feeling grateful right now that my family, friends as well as colleagues at Kaya 959 saw it fit to throw me this surprise birthday party that I wasn’t expecting. Truly, I was shocked when I walked up the stairs and saw everyone lined up like that,” said the Best T in the City host. 

“Birthdays have a thing of making you reflect, and when you hear people thank you for adding value and making an impact in their lives, it only just makes you smile. This act mainly tells me that I’ve been a great human being who is great to hang around with, which means I’m doing something right.”

Mokwele believes you only age when you start believing in it. “I don’t want to lie… I still feel the same. Nothing much has changed besides the digits,” he laughed.

“The only thing that will remind you is the body when you’re trying to play with young children or stretch your body to the limits… it will definitely indicate to you to slow it down but luckily because I regularly go to the gym, I can maintain being fit.”

Mokwele cautioned that lifestyle choices also have a great impact on health the older you get. “Wisdom comes from whatever it is that has been your challenge. I’ve realised something though, we only have this one body… just one. It’s up to you how you choose to take care of it. You just have to choose wisely,” he said.

His wife and fellow broadcaster, Mapaseka Mokwele, has been there for him every step of the way, witnessing his evolution. “It’s been beautiful to watch him grow with the years. I’m a believer in growth and development, so it’s important to evolve, and I’ve seen that with him,” said  Mapaseka.

“I’ve seen him move from his 20s to his 30s and 40s, and now his 50s... it’s been so amazing to witness. In all of it, he has become an even better husband and an amazing father. 

“He has such a beautiful heart and it’s always ready to give. So, it's good that we showed him some love today.”