Mahikeng – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) veteran multilingual newsreader Masego Ezekiel “Easy” Matjila is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the North-West University (NWU) on Thursday.
Masego has played a vital role in promoting the Setswana language at the SABC.
He began his career over 30 years ago as a radio personality for Radio Setswana, which later became Motsweding FM following a merger with Radio Mmabatho.
During this time, he also oversaw archives for Radio Setswana, the Afrikaans Service, Radio Ndebele (Ikwekwezi FM), and Radio Swazi (Ligwalagwala FM).
Due to his exceptional broadcasting skills and language proficiency, Masego served as a Setswana sports commentator for SABC Topsport (SABC Sports).
Subsequently, he worked as a prime-time news presenter in Sesotho, Sepedi, and Setswana until his retirement in 2021.
He also held roles as a bulletin editor and executive producer during his time at the SABC.
Masego has been an advocate for increased multilingual youth programs on SABC2, particularly highlighting the underrepresentation of Setswana, Sepedi, and Sesotho-speaking youth.
His efforts at the SABC earned him various awards, including Best News Writer (SABC, 2008) and Commentator of the Year: AFCON 1996.
The NWU said the award of the honorary doctorate reflects Masego’s significant contributions to South African society, particularly his work in promoting the Sesotho, Sepedi, and Setswana languages in broadcasting.
