Open Letter to Ba2cada

Dear Nyakallo “Ba2cada” Leine.

My name is Teboho Thuswa (22), I’m a Motivated Speaker and not a Motivational Speaker because challenges I encountered at an early age of my life motivated me to speak and change people's lives with the gift that God blessed me with. It’s devoted personages like you that augment significant value to the things I speak about and inspire me to be prodigious and do phenomenal things. I’m also an actor by profession and an emerging entrepreneur.

I was electrified to pen this letter to you because you beautifully preserve the spirit of community upliftment with the abilities and capacities you possess. I am also taking this opportunity to pen this letter because history proves that we master the art of saying remarkable things to game changing people like you when they are no more whilst we failed to be vocal when they are still alive. Because I draw huge inspiration and reassurance from your hustle, I have decided to appreciate and applaud the immense contribution you are playing in our communities by making sure that hope is indeed conveyed to the hopeless even though we live in societies that are fuelled by negative dynamism and stimulus.

When I grew up I had problem of waking up early on Saturdays, my sister can tell you this, but ever since you were introduced on Local top 30 on Saturdays I was jumping out of bed very early in the morning waiting to hear the skit saying “What did you say your name was? (Siren) Ba2cada…” then followed by that Dj What What track which used to be your background song. My mornings together with many Africans (including those in Lesotho and Botswana) were no longer the same because we knew that when we switched our radios on we are going to laugh, be entertained and be more than inspired by the United States of Botshabelo-born trendsetter Nyakallo Leine. Our afternoons have also been fuelled with much inspiration and edutainment as you and the legendary Seipati Seoke together with Kagiso Sebudi give an outstanding stellar presentation that is filled with humour, motivation and excellence. I have personally also drawn much stimulation, effort and drive from you to a degree that my friend and I shared your name; they called him Ba2 and called me Cada. We used to make so much noise imitating you on the streets whilst still in high school and today I’m a Market Theatre graduate because of the influence you played in raising us with your platform on Lesedi FM as a result of listening to you.

Steve Jobs beautifully says “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.” Nyakallo Leine, today you are one of the most successful radio presenters in Mzansi but many people have no idea that it has always been your dream, they have no idea that you also at some stage stood up and watched the great late Thabang Rampoana at the windows of Lesedi FM presenting, they have no idea that some radio stations rejected you and when you auditioned for Jozi FM in 2004 there were more than 800 people and they have no idea that you never settled to be where you are in the present moment. The thing is, Japie and most of us are still stuck and imprisoned in our fear today; we just want it to happen overnight and it’s highly impossible as no child was born today and tomorrow they are 10 years. I think most people do not really want freedom, because freedom seems to involve responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility. But because fear gives birth to poverty, and poverty is the great professor of life, I think we must expose ourselves to our deepest fear; because after that, fear has no power, and then fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. Then we will be free and ready to take life with the positive mode.

Opportunity doesn't make appointments; you have to be ready when it arrives, said Tim Fargo. Ba2cada, I give you a stand ovation because you were more than ready when your opportunity arrived and indisputably did your best on what you love. It is of the reason why admirable legends like Dr Chomane Chomane and Ntate Thuso Motaung decided to go and fetch you from Jozi FM and bring you to Lesedi FM in 2006. There’s a phrase that you like to say that attests to this, “Wa bona bosso yaka hao fumane monyetla o bapetetse paaaaap!!!”. Winston S. Churchill agrees with you and attractively says "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Cada mgaga, in 2012 & 2013 respectively, you won the best afternoon drive presenter accolade in prestigious MTN Radio Awards and outshined presenters who are regarded as so called heavyweights during that prime slot. From your journey I have picked up that strength comes from struggle and when you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, smarter, wiser, then your thinking shifts from "I can't do this" to "I must do this". Many talented and gifted people are today are kicking opportunities they have so bad and are the victims of alcohol, drugs, girls, boys, blessers, negative attitude and pride. They are hurtfully abusing opportunities they are given to change their circumstances, I can name many of them but it’s of no use because it won’t revolutionize anything until they themselves decide to have affirmative mental workout and success evaluation in learning from hustlers like you.

Few years ago on Top 30 show you joked about how they used to say you are not good looking before you worked on radio compared to today when they greet you nicely and act all good on you, I’m very glad that never derailed your spirit of going for what you desire like many people who get controlled by other people’s opinions. As I have fully-fledged now and observing what life really is, I comprehended from you that I must not let anyone's insecurities, emotions, or opinions bother me. I now know that if I am happy, that's all that matters to me since the noise of other people’s opinions will drown me out of my own inner voice and peace. Clarence Thomas boldly says “It's fascinating that people, there's so many people now who will make judgments based on what you look like. I'm black. So I'm supposed to think a certain way. I'm supposed to have certain opinions. I don't do that. You don't create a box and put people in and then make a lot of generalizations about them”. Today you are not only a treasured radio presenter but also a successful prominent business man, father, motivational speaker, game changer and phenomenal MC on big events. You have never at any moment allowed people’s opinions to be your reality and that sends a robust memorandum to many people who are imprisoned by the famous and cruel dogma. This is high time people liberate themselves from societal judgement because it is a very negative frequency that seems to have its air waves flying around our townships blocking people’s minds.

In a Book of Celtic Wisdom, Anam Cara courteously articulates that “All the possibilities of your human destiny are asleep in your soul. You are here to realize and honour these possibilities. When passion and love comes in to your life, unrecognized dimensions of your destiny awaken and blossom and grow. Possibility is the secret heart of time.” Mr Leine you also had a hallucination of being a soccer star that didn’t materialise but you didn’t just sit down and do nothing about what you have passion for. You have shown the spirit of human kind-heartedness by founding Ba2cada Soccer Tournament that is today responsible for driving change and playing a significant role in our soccer fraternity growth. Seaparankoe Nelson Mandela once alluded that there is no passion to be found playing small and in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. I still remember very well when the tournament started in 2008, you used your own money without funds and invested in the youngsters and those who dream of playing for professional teams, today it has grown to put Botshabelo on the map with huge sponsors whilst also creating business avenues for SMEs and providing cohesion in the community. Today we now have many PSL soccer stars like  the last season’s top goal scorer Moeketsi Sekola of Free State Stars and many others in the NFD that were scouted on the platform that you have created. You have continued to make it grow by bringing legends such as Doctor Khumalo and Tebogo Moloi, who would ever thought that a Free State born can pull such a huge soccer tournament of the magnitude that it is today. After the tournament journey’s observance, I took note that one must find that one thing, crack it well and it shall then open other doors. I know many people said the tournament won’t toil but the overwhelming success of it today truly illustrates that when your back is to the wall and you are facing fear head on, the only way is forward and through it.

Robin S. Sharma exquisitely states that “Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers. “Through the leadership volume you possess, you have designated that your influence as a presenter must not only benefit you but impact and contribute in driving the force of Sesotho Hip Hop to compete in the national level music scene by founding Ba2cada Entertainment and Tshepe Movement that has since given award-winning rising stars like Jcob and many others an opportunity to express their talents and abilities.  It is with such initiatives that our Free State province can rise and compete, I am very much in love with the movement because our province seems to be disbanded and thus becoming weak to compete musically; if there can be unity in our diversity, we will then be able to fly higher and higher by carrying each other’s backs.

As a motivated speaker, entrepreneur and actor, I have learnt from your momentum that for me to get where I want to get I have to tussle, push harder, and be willing to go bankrupt. And once I’m willing to do that, then everything will open up and I will get the economic liberty. Today you are living your dream; you own one of the top nightclubs, Topaz Lounge which you’ve always dreamt of. One thing I resemble more about you is that you keep on dreaming and dreaming because there is no law or section in the constitution that forbids us from dreaming and achieving our goals, we must never accept ourselves as finished products and only be the finished products when we die. As long as we have breath in our lungs, we must expand ourselves. Cadas, there were some negative stuff said about you in the media and how you put all these barriers behind you displays a great gesture of that you really know what you want. Some of us are like Japie, we get crumpled very easily and immediately give up on what we want to achieve. Your strength sends courage to many of us to say that once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones; you'll start having positive results because in order to carry a positive action you must develop a positive vision.

Phillippians 4: 4-8 beautifully says “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, resent your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, noble, right, lovely, admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Bra Nyaks, always stick to the Lord because he is the one who is responsible for everything that is happening in your life now, it’s not magic but his grace, stay humbled. Your journey is very stirring and my comprehensive learning experience from it is of Theodore Roosevelt’s words when he said, “it’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the pitch, whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood; who strives fearlessly; who slip up, who comes up short again and again, because there is no success without mistakes and shortcomings.”

Nyakallo Leine, keep on elevating and being an inspiration to many young individuals. Your name is now written in the book of the greats because of your contribution. Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece, by thought, choice, courage and determination. You have built a good character and it is better than an expensive perfume. Don’t break it.

Warm Regards

Teboho Thuswa Speaks, @tebohothuswa