Last Saturday (1 May) was a special day to remember for local radio lovers when famous presenter Mulalo Masindi (38), better known as DJ Mawelewele, returned to the airwaves after almost two months of being “in the wilderness”. The prolific radio presenter parted ways with Vhembe FM in February after he accused the radio management of discriminating against and firing him because he had disclosed his positive Covid-19 status.
Like a cat that has many lives, Masindi returned to the airwaves this time with a mighty sound on Vuwani FM last Saturday, presenting Midzhumba ya Africa between 18:00 and 21:00. Interestingly, Masindi was live on his Facebook page throughout the show and the response from his fans was massive.
Masindi, who hails from Tshaulu outside Thohoyandou, jubilantly said: “Everything that happened in the past is now history, and I have now started a new chapter with Vuwani FM. I’m happy that I was warmly welcomed by both the Vuwani FM management and radio fans. It was a memorable moment, because both my personal and the radio station’s social media platforms were overwhelmed with the response from fans who were happy to hear my voice back on radio. One good thing about technology is that radio can access many people who are outside the coverage of its area. When I opened the lines, I received calls from fans around the whole of Vhembe District and from fans as far as Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, who were following my first show on Facebook. This clearly demonstrates that my fans were seriously missing me, and I promise them that I am now here to stay. I love radio in such a way that I cannot live without it. Radio is part of me, and I live it every day of my life.”
Vuwani FM station manager Pfano Mulaudzi said no radio station could resist the outstanding talent of a presenter such as Masindi. “We consider ourselves very fortunate to have him on our line-up. Masindi is a broadcast legend in his own right and a dedicated presenter whose talent is indisputable. Everybody is happy here at the radio station, and we believe that we will have a fruitful, long-lasting working relationship with him. I can confirm that his show received the highest number of comments on our Facebook page and the volume of calls was the highest in the history of our radio station. His presence is a very big blessing to us, and it will also help to increase our listenership figures.”
