Kaya FM Afternoon Drive-time show host Sizwe Dhlomo. Picture: Instagram
Johannesburg-based commercial radio station Kaya FM is in the news again.
This time around reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting the station’s board of directors fired the station manager Sibongile Mtyali.
The reports further said Mtyali was fired with immediate effect for allegedly refusing to fire sports presenter Mpho Maboi following her altercation with Afternoon Drive presenter Sizwe Dhlomo.
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In recent months, the station made headlines when listeners shared their strong opinions on the hosting dynamic between Dineo Ranaka and Sol Phenduka on their breakfast show.
The story became even more interesting during the course of Sunday when Dhlomo himself sought to explain what has been happening off the air.
In a series of tweets, Dhlomo recalled how Maboi was given the sports gig at Kaya.
“Sibongile then called me into a meeting and said Mpho would be joining the team, meaning that Snadile Van Heerden [former sports presenter] would leave and asked what I thought about that, I said ‘no problem’, mina I’ll work with whomever you give me.
“Our show meeting starts at 1pm. It’s something I instituted when I first got to Kaya. Everyone attends and if you aren’t in the building at the time, you can do so virtually…no problem.
“Mpho started missing those, literally a week after joining our show. It meant she didn’t know what was being discussed, it meant she would sometimes not have a sports trivia prepped on air and that was jeopardising the quality of the show,” Dhlomo said in one of his tweets.
He further said he spoke to Maboi twice and when she continued to miss those meetings, he then took the matter to her manager for him to address it.
“She [Maboi] then skipped her manager and called Sbo instead. I then asked why did you remove a person who obviously could deliver for someone who couldn’t.
“Sbo’s response was ‘you will work with whomever we tell you to. Again I asked if everyone else can make the meeting, what makes this newcomer to our team so special,” he said.
Dhlomo went on to say that the station’s Human Resources (HR) department tried to send him an email telling him that their show meeting should be moved to accommodate Maboi and that he should no longer be involved in the music department as he has always been.
“I reported that directly to the board, copying both Spo and HR. The board launched an investigation and staff members came forward to testify and I suppose this is the outcome of it.
“That’s the story, not this nonsense you’re being fed. I’ve got proof to everything I’ve said here by the way and you have to imagine that a board that consists of Thebe, Kagiso and AME knows what they’re doing,” Dhlomo concluded.
Meanwhile, Dlhomo himself is no stranger to controversy.
The sudden nature of Unathi Nkayi’s dismissal from Kaya FM which left listeners of the station puzzled was allegedly a result of a fight between the duo.
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