As heartfelt and emotional tributes continue to pour in following the death of much loved SABC commentator Cebo “CC” Manyaapelo‚ some of those close to him mourned his passing and said the airwaves would never be the same again without his infectious voice.
Manyaapelo died at the age of 50 on Wednesday after a long illness and SuperSport presenter Robert Marawa said he had lost a mentor he looked up to.
“I held him in high regard‚” Marawa said.
“Even though you did not fully understand Setswana‚ you just wanted to listen to his commentary because with him everything was perfection.
“One of the most important things that I learned from him was dedication and passion because he never for once took his audience for granted.
“He also emphasised the importance of research.
“I have known him for many years since the days of TopSport at SABC and we immediately struck a friendly relationship.
“We also suffered together as Liverpool supporters.”
Dell’Oca shared the commentary booth with Manyaapelo for almost 13 years on many local and international events and he said it would be impossible to replace his long-time colleague.
“He taught me so much about football and commentary‚” said Dell’Oca.
“But he also had this incredible wisdom of knowing how to respond to situations in life in a way that will teach someone a lesson.
“He had his faults as a human being but he never judged anyone and I respected him for that‚” said Dell’Oca‚ adding that Manyaapelo also enjoyed Fomula One‚ golf and had a soft spot for Moroka Swallows.
“What made him special as a commentator is that he touched many lives which is something that is difficult to achieve and he leaves a legacy.
“He was a great character and it is going to be very difficult to replace him.
“I operate in my own life and he is one of the few people who knew me personally and how to deal with me.”
Alphie Koonyaditse‚ who is a commentator at Motseding FM‚ said he was auditioned by Manyaapelo in 1999 at the now defunct Radio Mmabatho and he has known him since then.
“He was an infectious person and over the years he became a very good elder brother who I relied on for many things in life‚” said Koonyaditse.
“When I decided to get married‚ he was one of the first people I told and he gave me his blessings.
“And when my children were born he was one of the first people I told.
“He liked to share his vast knowledge and he always emphasized the importance of research.
“He did a lot of work in the communities which he never wanted published in the newspapers‚” said Koonyaditse.
For the success of his daily Mamepe Sports Show on Motsweding FM‚ Manyaapelo relied heavily on his producer Stella Sebalo.
“I joined SABC in 1988 but I only started working closely with him five years ago as producer of his show Mamepe‚ which was hugely popular in the North West and neighbouring provinces‚” she said.
“I always likened our relationship to that of husband and wife because we had a lot of differences but always found a way for what was best for the show.
“He was very stubborn but at the same time had a good sense of humour.
“I understood him very well and I learned a lot from him because he had vast knowledge of many sporting codes.
“The last six months were not easy because he was in and out of the studio due to his sickness and we are going to miss him very much.”
- TimesLIVE
Tributes continue to pour in following the death of Cebo “CC” Manyaapelo
Manyaapelo died at the age of 50 on Wednesday after a long illness and SuperSport presenter Robert Marawa said he had lost a mentor he looked up to.
“I held him in high regard‚” Marawa said.
“Even though you did not fully understand Setswana‚ you just wanted to listen to his commentary because with him everything was perfection.
“One of the most important things that I learned from him was dedication and passion because he never for once took his audience for granted.
“He also emphasised the importance of research.
“I have known him for many years since the days of TopSport at SABC and we immediately struck a friendly relationship.
“We also suffered together as Liverpool supporters.”
Dell’Oca shared the commentary booth with Manyaapelo for almost 13 years on many local and international events and he said it would be impossible to replace his long-time colleague.
“He taught me so much about football and commentary‚” said Dell’Oca.
“But he also had this incredible wisdom of knowing how to respond to situations in life in a way that will teach someone a lesson.
“He had his faults as a human being but he never judged anyone and I respected him for that‚” said Dell’Oca‚ adding that Manyaapelo also enjoyed Fomula One‚ golf and had a soft spot for Moroka Swallows.
“What made him special as a commentator is that he touched many lives which is something that is difficult to achieve and he leaves a legacy.
“He was a great character and it is going to be very difficult to replace him.
“I operate in my own life and he is one of the few people who knew me personally and how to deal with me.”
Alphie Koonyaditse‚ who is a commentator at Motseding FM‚ said he was auditioned by Manyaapelo in 1999 at the now defunct Radio Mmabatho and he has known him since then.
“He was an infectious person and over the years he became a very good elder brother who I relied on for many things in life‚” said Koonyaditse.
“When I decided to get married‚ he was one of the first people I told and he gave me his blessings.
“And when my children were born he was one of the first people I told.
“He liked to share his vast knowledge and he always emphasized the importance of research.
“He did a lot of work in the communities which he never wanted published in the newspapers‚” said Koonyaditse.
For the success of his daily Mamepe Sports Show on Motsweding FM‚ Manyaapelo relied heavily on his producer Stella Sebalo.
“I joined SABC in 1988 but I only started working closely with him five years ago as producer of his show Mamepe‚ which was hugely popular in the North West and neighbouring provinces‚” she said.
“I always likened our relationship to that of husband and wife because we had a lot of differences but always found a way for what was best for the show.
“He was very stubborn but at the same time had a good sense of humour.
“I understood him very well and I learned a lot from him because he had vast knowledge of many sporting codes.
“The last six months were not easy because he was in and out of the studio due to his sickness and we are going to miss him very much.”
- TimesLIVE
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