Podcaster Baloyi gives insight into his cameo on ‘Isitha: The Enemy’

Isitha: The Enemy may be coming to an end on April 23 2027 after three years on air, but producers are pulling out all the stops to keep viewers glued to their screens until the final episode.

Podcaster and music executive Nhlamulo “Nota” Baloyi is set to make his cameo on the e.tv telenovela, but it might be his last.

“I enjoyed it very much, but I wouldn’t do it again. I agreed in the first place because I wanted to try it out, but I’m not one to stick to a script,” he told TshisaLIVE.

Baloyi plays a role he knows all too well in reality, a podcaster.

As podcasting continues to grow at a rapid pace in South Africa, Baloyi considers himself a key player in the industry. “I’m a pioneer in the podcasting space, so I hold on to the opportunity of podcasting as a business.

“I have been in this space for the longest time, from when people were still thinking online radio would be sustainable in this country. I have made sure that I made myself a big voice within the podcasting space by understanding how audiences work, and how conversations work. The purpose of podcasting is to create conversations that go beyond the listening experience.”

Being at the forefront comes at a price, however, from occupying trends lists to facing backlash and social media scrutiny.

“Podcasting has given certain individuals the opportunity to become platforms in and of themselves. Once you become a platform, you become a commercial and political threat.”

He said the biggest challenge that came with having a large amount of influence in the podcasting sphere was that one could be a target of smear campaigns, lawsuits and political attacks.

“You will also face some commercial exclusion. That is the challenge that many of the bigger, independent media practitioners face. Podcasting is no different.

“What YouTube has been able to do is allow a whole lot of independent media producers and broadcasters to circumvent the gatekeepers and attract large enough audiences to sustain their own businesses. That’s the reassuring thing about the growth in the media industry, especially in podcasting.”

While he might have just made his acting debut, Baloyi said his focus still remained on his weekly show Music Pulse, which he hosts alongside Thakgi Ledwaba and Sfiso Ndlovu on the Podcast and Chill Network.

“I’m focused on doing my weekly show and making it the best show on the African continent. We are so fortunate that we come from such a diverse country that is rich with musical talent. We get to draw audiences from around the world, just talking about South African music. That should be something that we are proud of being a part of.

“And we are hoping that the show can have an influence in improving the standard of African music as a whole,” he said.