Popular radio personality Huggy “Tabs el’Presidente” Lebogo is back on radio. He’s now the new host of Meriting Afternoon drive on Mokopane FM from 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
In March of this year, Lebogo made headlines after being abruptly dismissed from Energy FM barely a month on his return.
“I am happy to be back where I belong. What excites me more is that I didn’t go out looking for this job. I was just minding my own life when the radio called,” said Huggy.
“I was ready to give up on radio, but radio never gave up on me. It was always like a shadow that was with me all the time.”
Huggy started his radio career in 2008 at UJFM where he stayed for almost two years. He moved to Lephalale FM in 2014 and later joined Energy FM in 2016. He got a short stint at Waterberg FM in 2021 before making his second return to Energy FM in 2022.
“I never knew radio was for me. I was always the loudmouth in the family. It wasn’t until 2008, when I was in my second year at University of Johannesburg that I knew there was a radio station on campus. I told my cousin about it and he said I should try it out and that’s how it all started”
Huggy had a love and hate relationship with radio. He has been fired and hired a number of times.
“Things got complicated when Energy FM called me. I feel like I shouldn’t have answered that call. I started experiencing many strange things. People didn’t appreciate and understand the real Huggy. They just loved the guy they heard on the radio. That’s all they cared about.”
He says his long absence from the public spaces had nothing to do with his radio career and more to do with his life.
“I needed a spiritual rehabilitation. The last eleven months of my life brought immense change and also made me incredibly fearless. I have learned so much about myself. I was being attacked by forces that deemed to destroy me,” said Huggy.
“When you do what you love and love what you do, you forget that alien spirits will work against you. I’ve had people who were with me at my peak but didn’t want to see me at my peak. I’ve represented people but they’ve never returned that affection, but that’s a story I’ll tell another time.”
Huggy has been in the radio industry for 14 years but never had a big break. He believes radio isn’t what it used to be.
“Today radio is about social media sensations, influencers and celebrity status and not about real talent. There are two different types of people in the world those that love what they do and those that do what they love I guess I am the whole package.”
“I don’t do radio because I want to be famous. I’m not doing it for the likes. I make radio for the ordinary Joe who just wants to escape. If you have a headache you take a pill for it, so to me I am the pill and the listener is the headache. My job is to make them feel good.”
You can tune in on Mokopane FM 100.0 MHz, Meriting Afternoon drive from 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Welcome back friend
I’m so happy Huggy is back on radio where he belongs, Mokopane fm is lucky to have such a talent. Looking forward to his new journey with the station👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽