Radio legend Thato Sikwane, popularly known as DJ Fresh, in July joins Kaya 959, formerly known as Kaya FM 95.9.
DJ Fresh joined Kaya 959, after abruptly leaving radio station 938 Radio.
During an episode of his podcast “What a Week”, DJ Fresh discussed what led to his sudden exit.
DJ Fresh clarified that he does not own the radio station, despite there being a narrative that he and Unathi Nkayi started one. He shared that he did have equity as part of his contract, but it wasn’t an amount to make noise about.
“938 did not go according to everything that we had been promised would happen. That’s why it eventually became easy to actually walk away.
DJ Fresh reflected that it was a necessary journey that allowed him to reconnect with his long-time on-air collaborator and trusted producer, Thato Mataboge.
He revealed that there were severe financial struggles within the company, which left staff members unpaid for months.
“The thing is, things got to a point where staff were not getting paid, and because I’ve got gigs that I do, that kind of helps. I have savings that I could dip into that kind of helped. But when you reach a point where you’ve not been paid for so many months that it stops making financial sense to still show up. That’s where I was at.”
DJ Fresh explained that his love for radio led him to ignore his inner voice, which told him to cut the cord until things would be clear on the company’s cash flow.
“We weren’t getting paid, and we got sick and tired of not getting paid. In fact, people still haven’t been paid. I’m still waiting for a couple of months. In fact, more than a couple of months of payment, and still we wait.”
DJ Fresh replaces Sizwe Dhlomo on Kaya 95.9 breakfast. Currently, Thomas Msengana is hosting the slot after Dhlomo, who left a month before his contract ended.
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