Hemaynotknowhowmanylistenershave
movedwithhimfromMetroFMto947,
butFreshsaysa growingnumberofpeople
aredownloadingthestation’snewappor
streamingonline.‘Noteveryonecan
managetalent’
ist, and they can’t punish me. S
I left and went somewhere else.”
When contacted for com-
ment the SABC referred us to
statement in which the broad-
caster said they’d been found
guilty of and sanctioned for
using offensive language on air.F
OR two months, th
family man had n
source of income
But Fresh, who ha
had success in music,
TV and business, had
saved for a rainy day.
“I’ve always preached about saving
money. I was able to go through for two
months without feeling the pinch.
“With every R100 a person makes, they
should be able to save up R25 for a rainy
day and this plan helped me to survive.”
He used the time off work to reflect. “It
was two months of clarity,” he says. “I’ve
been doing breakfast shows for five
years now, two years at Metro FM and
three years at 5FM.
“When my son was born four years
ago I was on the radio and I missed out
on many milestones in his life.”
It was only after his suspension that
he realised just how much work had oc-
cupied his life. “On the first day my son
asked me why I was taking him to school
and it dawned on me that I had never
taken him to school,” Fresh says.
“So I made use of the time catching up
with my family, my children, doing gigs
here and there and more interviews
thanI haddoneina longtime.
“Iappreciatedbeingawayfromwork.
I wasn’tmiserableatall,butmylisteners
mighthavebeenfrustrated,”hequips.
Hehasoneofthemostrecognisable
voicesonradio,but“BigDawg”wasstill
blownawaybyhowfansralliedbehind
himonsocialmedia.Scoresoffollowers
calledforhisreinstatementandthreat-
enedtoboycottMetroFMuntilFresh
wasbackontheairwaves.
“Generally,I don’tbasemylifeonsocial
mediastandards,”hesays.“Iworkin
radioandnumberstalk.Butthesupport
frompeoplewasoverwhelming.
“IknewpeopleappreciatedwhatI do
butI neverfullygraspedthelovepeople
hadformeandI ameternallygrateful.
I wishtherewasmoreI coulddofor
peopleshowingmeallthislove.
“IfI could,I wouldthrowonebigparty
foreveryone,drinksonme!”S
O THRILLED is
he with all the
support, he’s
working on a
project to show
just how much
he appreciates his followers.
“The digital platform is all
still a work in progress,” he
says. “My fans showed me
how much they value me, so
the platform will be for them.
“It will include video, audio
and possibly broadcast – it’s
what people have been ask-
ing me to do.”
He’s been riding the airwaves on the
breakfast show for years. Now Fresh is
looking forward to changing gears as
the drive-time show host.
“After all these years, I still love radio
because I can change people’s lives every
day. Every day I ask myself: am I giving
people hope and changing their lives for
thebetter?
“Radiohappensinrealtime.You’re
always a song away from giving some-
body hope.”The Botswana-born mix master owes
his love of people to his parents, mom
Francinah and dad Francis Sikwane, who
taught him to be humble.
“I was raised by people who achieved
a lot but never allowed their achieve-
mentstoguideordictatehowtheytreat
people,”hesays.
“AlotofwhatI doisaboutmycalling
andnotaboutthesuperstarlifeof‘Oh
s**tI’mfamous,peopledigme,therefore,
I amcool’.That’snotwhyI dowhatI do.
“I’ma radiopersonalitybecausesince
I was13,I genuinelybelievedI was
broughtontoEarthtochangepeople’s
livespositively.ForaslongasI’mdoing
thatI don’tcareaboutthenoiseandthe
hype.It hashelpedmetostaygrounded.”
He’shappythestormhaspassedand
thewholeexperiencehasallowedhimto
practisewhathepreaches.
“It’sa matterofprinciple,”Freshsays.
“Don’tbeembarrassedtoseewhatyou
believein.Sometimesweareafraidof
losingourjobsandaretooworriedabout
whatpeoplewillsay.
“Standupforwhatyoubelieveinand
carrythecross.”your mouth comes with the territory.
Here he is with a few of his fellow jocks- (from left) DJ Sbu, Gareth Cliff, Robert
Marawa, Tbo Touch and Trevor Gumbi.
BELOW: Before his stint at Metro FM,
Fresh hosted 5FM’s breakfast show.
http://www.drum.co.za 22 AUGUST 2019 | (^7)
GALLO IMAGES/THE TIMES/MOEKETSI MOTICOE, GALLO IMAGES/SOWETAN/VELI NHLAPO, INSTAGRAM/GRCLIFF
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