On the 28th of April we sat down with Lwandle Masoka, Nkulee Mbatha and Hamzaa Luthuli at the Deeply Rooted Studios out in Morningside - who were all announced as Gagasi FM’s newest additions to the station’s on-air line up from the 1st of May 2023. Prior to this, the three bubbly personalities all graduated from community radio, where they worked at Durban Youth Radio (105.1FM).

In our conversation we discuss the relevance of community radio in 2023 as well as the role it serves in equipping young media practitioners for the commercial stage and beyond.

LWANDLE MASOKA

Market-savvy and forward-thinking Lwandle Masoka is described as having a good understanding of station operations and listener preferences. She’s a unique Radio Host with two years of experience in radio. Dedicated to thorough research and breaking news coverage with success in editing and scriptwriting.

NKULEE MBATHA

Nkulee Mbatha who is originally from Pietermaritzburg, describes her brand as being built on the very essence of her name: Nonkululeko, She Who Births Freedom. Nkulee studied drama and performance studies at UKZN.

HAMZAA LUTHULI

Mlungisi Hamzaa Luthuli loves connecting people and is driven by results, consistently pushing forth the best in all he does. Hamzaa has always had a great passion for radio and was influenced by the greats such as DJ Fresh, Adil, Phat Joe, the late Chilli M amongst others. Hamzaa graduated from a two year Radio Production course at the Creative Arts College in Durban Central, and officially began his journey on air six to seven years ago, where he joined campus Radio in 2017 (Radio DUT). In 2020 he joined community Radio Station (DYR105.1FM), with a plan to one day join Gagasi FM, and he says that “although it took a while, it was worth the wait”.

Written by Lex LaFoy