THOBELA FM listeners are up in arms with the SABC.
They want to boycott the station if Max “The Mixer” Mojapelo is not brought back on air.
At the heart of their unhappiness is the replacement of The Mixer without reasons. Over the weekend they took their anger to Facebook and threatened to boycott the station.
One of the listeners, Kgosi Shai, said: “Thobela FM doesn’t care about its listeners and they are clearly destroying this radio station. As the listeners, we are not happy about this and we are ready to boycott Thobela FM if they can’t correct their mistake.
The Mixer was doing a show called Afrika ya Dinaledi between 6pm-9pm on Saturdays.
He has been working for the SABC since 1983.
On Saturday, 26 March The Mixer hosted his last show.
An inside source told Daily Sun that his contract was not renewed.
“A week before 1 April, he was told that he is being removed from his Saturday show. There was no reason or explanation given to him. He was hurt because his show was doing well,” said the source.
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“He was then offered a documentary slot which deals with culture and tradition, but he officially declined their offer. He felt that the documentary show was paying less and so it wouldn’t be able to cover his monthly expenses. As a result on 26 March he bid farewell to his listeners,” added the source.
But on the 1 April, the Thobela management demanded that he went back to work and do a proper handing over.
“Initially he refused to go back. He felt he was no longer part of the SABC as his contract had been terminated. But they convinced him and even promised him to pay for his trip to the station and for his work on that particular day, he agreed. On 2 April he went back to work and introduced the new presenter of the show, but there was still no better offer for him. Instead, he was told to sign the same contract he had rejected. He signed it but he didn’t understand it. As a result, The Mixer doesn’t know where he stands with the SABC,” said another source.
When The Mixer was approached for a comment, he declined to speak and referred all queries to the SABC.
Spokeswoman for the SABC, Gugu Ntuli, said: “Thobela FM management can confirm that Mr Mojapelo, who is one of the oldest and longest serving members of the team, remains an important part of the station. He currently has an active contract with the station for on-air content delivery through traditional documentaries and other contributions for this financial year. It is therefore inaccurate to say that he is excluded. The station has the responsibility to appoint and showcase new talent from time to time, in a bid to future proof itself.”
