Kealeboga Themba, also known as Boga to his followers, is a UP BSc Human Physiology student that recently had his face featured on a YFM billboard on University Road, following winning the YFM billboard competition.
Themba, a YFM listener, heard of the competition after tuning into the radio station, but it was his friend, Itumeleng, who encouraged him to enter the competition. “I listen to YFM, but my friend, Itumeleng recommended that I enter, and I was like, why not? So, I submitted my pictures on Twitter and the rest is history”, explained Themba. Themba is hopeful that big brands will recognise him and offer him opportunities – “I haven’t worked with any brand, but hopefully after this billboard, there will be brand partnership opportunities”, he said.
Themba says he has always had television and media aspirations. “I don’t think it was much of a realisation, but rather something I’ve always found a really deep love and interest for growing up”, he said. As a lover of music and dance, Themba has always known that entertainment is an industry he would venture into and the move to Pretoria in 2019 to commence his studies was a step closer to his dream of rising to stardom. The realisation that people resonated and responded well to his personality was all the confirmation he needed.
Themba is also a rising digital content creator, with his Youtube channel sitting at 877 subscribers. “I started my Youtube channel in first year, and it was just really for fun. Later on, it became more of a creative outlet as well as a platform where I could share my experiences as a queer individual”, Themba explained. The channel is also there to provide information for people outside of the queer community so that they better understand the community, but also to give humour and inspiration to whoever is watching Themba’s content. As a feminist himself, Themba says that his Youtube channel is targeted at female and queer audiences, saying that he is “all about feminism, and femme representation, because [he] feels like there’s a lot more that needs to be done in terms of femme representation in our society”. Themba says that faces like his are needed for other people who see a portion of themselves in him to be able to fully embrace and express themselves, with no fear of judgement.
Themba’s plans for the future are big. He says his “goals for the future are to make it big in the industry, probably be an influential media personality and also start a foundation in support of queer bodies who have been neglected by their families, and just overall be a superstar”.
Image: provided
History, Archaeology and Setswana student at the University of Pretoria. An avid reader and lover of news writing and broadcasting. I have a passion for African indigenous languages and history. A prospective world-class journalist and scholar