Women Shaping the Future of Broadcasting: Lerato Mashile

For Lerato Mashile, radio called, she answered, and she has been running with it ever since. With nine years of experience in broadcasting, her career has been shaped by a deep belief in the power of media to educate, empower and create meaningful connections within communities.

Lerato’s love for media began long before she entered the industry. Growing up, she listened to Highveld Stereo (now 947), Jacaranda FM and 5FM, and was particularly inspired by broadcasters such as Grant and Anele, Zuraida Jardine and Nicole Fox. Initially aspiring to become a journalist, she went on to study English Literature at the University of the Western Cape.

After graduating, Lerato returned home to Rustenburg in the North West, where she pitched herself to community radio station Mafisa FM. She began producing content for the breakfast show and spent two years at the station before returning to Cape Town, where she joined Bush Radio as an intern.

At Bush Radio, she initially worked as a content producer for the daytime programme Back Chat. Just six months into her internship, she was given the opportunity to take over the drive-time show Everyday People – an opportunity that helped define the direction of her broadcasting career. For Lerato, the way these opportunities unfolded reinforced her belief that radio had chosen her just as much as she had chosen it.

As a broadcaster and producer on Everyday People, Lerato views the microphone as more than a tool for entertainment. She sees it as a platform for education, empowerment, community engagement and social impact. Her work has focused on amplifying stories and issues that are often overlooked, including mental health, gender-based violence, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, arts and culture, while also celebrating ordinary South Africans making extraordinary contributions to their communities.

This commitment to community extends to her involvement in Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and community-focused initiatives, where she uses her skills as a storyteller and broadcaster to help bring attention to issues that affect people’s everyday lives. Through conversations, awareness campaigns and platforms that give communities a voice, Lerato contributes to creating greater awareness, encouraging dialogue and connecting audiences with information and opportunities that can make a difference.

Throughout her career, she has interviewed leaders, policymakers, artists and changemakers, including the Western Cape Premier and the Mayor of Cape Town, as well as some of South Africa’s most celebrated creatives. Yet, regardless of who is behind the microphone, her objective remains the same: to ensure that audiences do not simply hear about the world around them, but see themselves reflected in the stories being told.

For Lerato, broadcasting is ultimately a form of service. Beyond her work on air, she is passionate about mentoring emerging voices and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard and valued. Her contribution reflects the important role broadcasters can play in strengthening communities by using their platforms to inform, empower and inspire positive change.

She hopes her work will continue to contribute to a media landscape that is inclusive, compassionate and rooted in community – one that reminds people that every story matters and every voice has value. For Lerato, meaningful change can begin with something as simple as a conversation, but true inclusion means ensuring that people are not merely represented for the sake of visibility, but are given the dignity and space to be authentically heard.

As she puts it: “Inclusivity in media matters because representation is about more than visibility; it’s about dignity – moving beyond tokenism and actually creating platforms where people don’t have to change who they are to be heard, but rather leave feeling seen, heard and valued.”