Meet Tlali Lebitsa – The fearlessly curious and bold podcaster
LINEO MALATALIANA
Intuitive, curious and bold are fit to best describe podcaster Tlali Lebitsa. The self-made narrator defines himself as a passionate storyteller at heart. He attributes his becoming as a culmination of a culture that influenced his inquisitive nature.
“I am a storyteller at heart, a strategist by profession, and a progressive thinker who believes in constant improvement through learning. I am also someone who’s never stopped questioning things, especially the why in everything.”
“I was raised in a culture that values humility, family, and resilience, and those values have shaped both the way I see the world and the way I choose to question it,” Lebitsa said.
Lebitsa’s childhood moulded his outlook on the world and its dealings. He was exposed to human rights and welfare, with a religious educational background which influenced his developmental years. His father’s career in diplomatic work in the 1990s era South Africa fuelled Lebitsa’s curiosity on the why aspect in the world.
“My worldview has been shaped by contrasts. My father was a career diplomat, stationed in Klerksdorp in 1993 at the Lesotho Consulate where he worked extensively on the rights and welfare of Basotho mineworkers. We later moved to Johannesburg in 1999, where he served as a Consulate attaché. This is where most of my formative years unfolded.”
“I was schooled in a white Christian school, a place that taught individualism, independence, and the power of self-expression. But it was only when we moved back to Lesotho in 2005 that everything started to shift. The culture shock was quite overwhelming.
The contrast was sharp: culturally, socially, economically, and structurally. Suddenly, I wasn’t just comparing two places (Lesotho and South Africa). I was questioning both,” Lebitsa said.
He said that the alteration in culture gave him a dual perspective into two worlds. On is a childhood inked in structure and another an adulthood of navigating a fragile system.
“Growing up in South Africa, I saw privilege and access. A place where development was fast-paced and things generally worked even at a basic service level. Returning to Lesotho felt like stepping into a system that had been standing still for decades and was still waiting for things to start,” he said.
His introduction to Lesotho left him feeling like taking a step back in time. To him his native country was stuck in progression. And what left a lasting mark on him was the accepting culture Basotho seemed to portray, holding on the promise that things will get better in good time.
The terrain of Lesotho’s political landscape and governance further entrenched enthusiasm into the mind and moral craves of the podcaster. In the 2000s, Lebitsa started tracking accounts of how the country carried and handled its issues.
“I remember watching how the government handled protests and “stay-aways” in the early 2000s. I remember listening to budget speeches, especially from the days of Ntate Tim Thahane, tracking their promises like a silent observer. I started keeping a mental checklist: what did they say vs. what did they do,” he said.
Lebitsa pins 2007 as a year of significance in his quest to learn and draw standpoint in his opinion on the country’s peak in the political dealings and subsequently its outcomes.
In his words the podcaster said: “By the time we reached the 2007 elections, the tension was in the air, even for young people. Coalition governments became the new norm, and every cycle seemed to bring more instability. I started to see the same patterns repeating: big promises, no accountability and no system to hold leaders accountable.”
His deep interest in the most delicate details of the history of Lesotho has influenced him to start a conservative, thought provoking podcast that questions and forces Lesotho and its leaders to account to consequences of their decisions.
“In Perspective with Tladi was born from a need to pause, to slow down, to look beneath the surface of things and to ask: “Where did this all really begin?”
Lebitsa admittedly attributes the fruition of his podcast to frustration of too much noise.
“There’s too much noise in our national conversation. Too much outrage without context. Too many shallow debates, social media rants, and performative responses, especially when it comes to our politics, our economy, our society,” Lebitsa said.
In his podcast Lebitsa curates content that is naked and allows for viewers to look at issues in depth, trigger understanding and most importantly ask intrusive questions.
“I wanted to create a space where we could strip away the drama and theatrics, and ask deeper, more honest questions. Where complexity is welcome. Where spin, slogans, and agendas don’t stand a chance. I think in a nutshell, In Perspective is about reshaping how we think and questioning what we know,” the podcaster explains.
His process starts with the “why” factor, which leads him to a fearless approach to dissect issues most people have cultured into secret conversation started only for personal intrigue.
“It always starts with a single question, usually ones that we all silently asked ourselves but never voice. Not because we are afraid to ask out loud, but because we ask silently in homes, at gatherings, in our day-to-day conversations. Questions like: Why does nothing ever change? Why does corruption always win in Lesotho? Are all politicians the same? What good can ever come out of Lesotho? Are we doomed as a nation? Will we ever make it as a nation?”
“Each episode is a journey from what we think we know, to what we’ve never paused to see and instead overlook. I aim to blend fact with feeling, truth with structure, and analysis with storytelling. I imagine I am talking to someone who deserves the full picture because every Mosotho does,” he explains.
Lebitsa’s investment in his podcast as a tool in trying to shift the mind-set of the country has seen him utilise his skills as a strategist and write like a storyteller which he qualifies to his love for reading.
Through his podcast, Lebitsa hopes to help Basotho reclaim their ability to think in a constructive and in formed manner. Appreciating that In Perspective does not stem for a need of fame, however it is about understanding.
“I want people to question everything they’ve been told and everything they’ve never thought to ask. I want us to rethink the values we carry, not just for ourselves, but for the country we’ll leave behind.”
“If In Perspective can help spark just one moment of clarity, just one uncomfortable but necessary conversation, then it’s doing what it was made for. Lesotho needs more than politics. We need perspective,” Lebitsa states.
The self-proclaimed storyteller is a firm believer that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, hoping that shifting national mind-set is feat attainable on episode at a time.
Lebitsa is not in denial that currently the country’s media landscape is largely influenced by radio. However, it is flawed with limited airtime, tight schedules, and often, content that has to play it safe to avoid upsetting power structures.
In his perspective, he sees podcasts filling in the cracks that the current media landscape has developed over time.
“I see podcasts as a necessary shift in how we communicate, document, and reflect as a nation. They allow us to go deeper and to move beyond headlines. To ask harder questions without being interrupted by a news bulletin or fearing backlash,” he said.
And because they are digital and on-demand, they allow Basotho, especially young people to engage with content on their own terms. In a country where we’ve long struggled with media independence, shrinking newsroom budgets, and a culture of self-censorship, podcasts offer freedom, space and honesty.
“They also give rise to new voices. People who might never get called into a studio or be interviewed in a paper to tell our stories and spark dialogue,” Lebitsa states.
“We are still early in the podcast journey here in Lesotho, but the potential is massive. If we take it seriously, invest in it, train for it, and create content that speaks directly to the Basotho experience, podcasts could play a critical role in rebuilding our national consciousness,” he concludes.
