DJ Shado Twala in the 15-minute interview. By CHARL BLIGNAUT
Charl Blignaut: Hey, what on earth are you doing in Cape Town?
Shado Twala: I’m trying to fix a plug. I’ll probably electrocute myself halfway through this phone call.
CB: There goes your future in radio.
ST: And my baby’s, most likely.
CB: How old’s your baby?
ST: 13, 14 months.
CB: When did you get to Cape Town?
ST: Three days ago.
CB: What are you doing there?
ST: I have a new job offer on P4 Radio.
CB: What’s P4 Radio?
ST: It’s a new station owned by a consortium made up of Makana Trust and P4Radio in Norway. I was part of another consortium applying for a licence for a jazz station in Jo’burg and they were our opposition. I had met them while I was still at Metro and then I ran into them again at the hearings. We joked then that if we got the licence we’d employ them and vice versa. When our bid failed I was so upset. I thought that’s it; that’s the end of radio for me. Then came the phone call and they said come on, join us. I thought no way am I moving to Cape Town. It’s madness. I’ve just had a baby, I’m settled in Jo’burg …
CB: So how is Cape Town?
ST: So far I’ve only been here a few days and it’s stunning. I’m still busy setting up house. People still recognise me in shopping centres after all this time. Somehow my name and Metro have stuck together …
CB: Well, you were Metro. Tell me, how do you feel about Metro now?
ST: I don’t like thinking about Radio Metro. [One of Metro’s most popular voices, Twala was unceremoniously hauled off air with no explanation.] I’m just glad I’m outta there. The station’s not what it used to be. I appreciate they need to keep changing formats, but they left their original audience behind …
CB: They’ve still never given solid reasons for your dismissal?
ST: They settled out of court.
CB: A victory for you?
ST: Not really, because people still ask questions. My attorney advised me that I’d win the case, but I didn’t have the money to employ a legal team. They could’ve dragged the case out for years. So I backed down in a way, I settled for a much smaller sum …
CB: What happened? Was it because you refused to follow the playlist?
ST: It was a hundred and one things. I questioned a lot of what was happening there … I opened my mouth a bit too much. Basically they had to find reasons to get rid of me … Thank God it’s all behind me now.
CB: So what happens on P4Radio?
ST: Jazz. Smooth jazz. Smooth jazz is more contemporary. Twenty four hours a day.
CB: You must be in heaven.
ST: Orgasmic, darling. Particularly when they offered me the job of music manager.
CB: Will you be in competition with Fine Music Radio?
ST: Ja, they’re our nearest competition. But they also play classics and more traditional jazz … We’re going to be very selective. With all the new stations radio it’s becoming more and more tuned in to a specific audience. But I really don’t know much yet. The job really only starts next week …
CB: So where is radio heading?
ST: With the broader choices people will be jumping from station to station for a while. People will be learning what they like. Someone would say they have no interest in classical music. A station starts playing it and they go: “Ah. That’s what classical music’s about. I could be a listener.” For me it’s about the music and finding yourself. Now people can listen to traditional sounds and feel proud of them at last, you know.
CB: Did your son stay on in Jo’burg?
ST: Ja. Vusi and his friend have a TV production company called Jewazi, so he’s involved in his own thing.
CB: What kind of a name is Jewazi?
ST: Vusi’s Swazi and his friend’s a Jew.
CB: Why did you have another baby so late in life?
ST: Darling, obviously it wasn’t planned! I honestly didn’t think I had it in me. It even took me by surprise. But she’s the most lovable girl. She’s some kind of payment – a reward – for all the pain I’ve been through these last two years. She’s the one thing that’s gone right.
CB: What’s her name?
ST: Owami.
CB: What does it mean?
ST: It means “mine”.