Soul man of radio says goodbye to the airwaves

MBOMBELA – The “Soul man” of radio, Celani Dube with his smooth velvet voice, had his last show last Friday.

If you were up from 03:00 to 06:00, then the Love Zone needed no introduction as Dube would entertain the late-night listeners on MPowerFM, now RiseFM.

Lowvelder spoke to “The Loverman”, which is his other nickname, about his career on air.

When did you first start working in this industry?

It was in 2007 on commercial radio when I met Bondo Ntuli, who was at MPowerFM then. He said he liked my voice and the way I thought. I never expected to work in radio as I had studied marketing and management.

What was the highlight of your career on air?

Last year I interviewed the premier, Mr DD Mabuza on my show for a whole hour, and I played his favourite songs by Tony Braxton.

What was the biggest challenge?

One night I had a listener who wanted to kill himself. I had to talk him out of it for two hours off-air; the other listeners didn’t know what was going on.

What are you going to miss the most?

Connecting with my listeners as I already know almost every caller by voice;

I also know their names. My slot was so big, I had fans from the UK and the United States.

Which genre is your favourite?

They called me “Mr Loverman” as I often played soul music.

What does the future hold?

Well, I am still going to be a loyal supporter of the new RiseFM, I think it is on the right track. I have always worked two jobs including radio, which most people didn’t know. My other employers have put me on a management-development programme to be one of the top executives, plus I get to spend more time with my family.

Who was the man behind the mic?

A father, a husband and a humble down-to-earth guy who lives by the principle, “the future is now”.

Do you have any last words for your fans?

I would like to thank my management, my colleagues and mostly all my listeners for lending me their ears and allowing me to come into their homes.