Gaona Nketso Dintwe (born 1 May 1983, née Tlhasana) is a Botswana television presenter, talk show host, event host, broadcast journalist, and media entrepreneur.
Early life and education
Dintwe was born in Gaborone, Botswana. She graduated from Monash South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies.
Career
Dintwe began her media career in 2006 at Radio Botswana 2, where she hosted the mid-morning show Urban Flavas, an adult contemporary weekday program featuring talk and music. She subsequently joined Botswana Television (BTV) as a news anchor and also served as a news reader on Radio Botswana 1 and Radio Botswana 2. She has presented live coverage of the State of the Nation Address by the President and the Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning.
In November 2015, she founded GaonaLive Productions, a female-run television production company and online channel hosted on GaonaLive Online and NOW TV (channel 290 on DStv). She currently hosts the program Gaona Live.
In 2018, she launched I-Rise By Gaona, an apparel brand producing bespoke women's sleepwear, loungewear, and headgear.
Community involvement and fellowship
In May 2014, Dintwe was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Young African Leaders Initiative (Mandela Washington Fellowship), a programme established by U.S. President Barack Obama. She was one of 15 Batswana among 500 young African leaders sent to 20 institutions across the United States. She spent six weeks at Yale University studying business and entrepreneurship leadership. She later completed a three-month internship in Lagos, Nigeria, at the International Centre for Leadership Development (ICLD) Nigeria.
Activism and advocacy
Dintwe is an activist and advocate for endometriosis awareness, drawing on her personal experience with the condition.
Personal life
Dintwe married Thobo Tlhasana, a longtime friend and colleague, in September 2012. She publicly spoke about her struggle with infertility and endometriosis. The couple separated in December 2014 and divorced in September 2015 due to irreconcilable differences.
Awards and recognition
In a BOCRA (Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority) countrywide survey, Dintwe was identified as the most popular female broadcaster across all commercial radio stations. She is also a recipient of the BOMU Music Awards Best Electronic Journalist Award.
