THE legendary Ukhozi FM presenter Welcome Nzimande has died.
Nzimande, who is regarded as legend of the airwaves died on Friday morning due to a Covid-19 related illness according to his wife Zandile Nzimande. Popularly known as Bhodloza or Ingulube Ncani, Nzimande widely attained popularity both on television and radio when he presented shows such as Ezodumo on SABC1 and Sgiyangengoma on Ukhozi Fm.
At the time of his death he was working for the Department of Labour as UIF Board Chairperson, having joined them in 2013 after leaving Ukhozi FM in 2010.
He was one of the station’s legendary presenters having joined the station in the 70s, while it was still known as Radio Bantu.
His career began with Radio Zulu, which today is Ukhozi Fm, in 1978 and he has held a number of positions including 10 years as a TV presenter co-anchoring the popular traditional music show, Ezodumo.
He led the brand transformation process of Radio Zulu to the current Ukhozi fm and initiated various community-building activities, including formation of the South African Traditional Music Association (SATMA), which contributed to the development of traditional music and unearthing music talent in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. SATMA led to the formation of South African Traditional Music Awards.
Nzimande used the power of radio to help defuse political violence, which characterised South African politics in the early 1990s. He further made significant contribution in dealing with taxi violence in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. It is because of his leadership vision that Ukhozi fm leads various social responsibility projects on education, disability, women empowerment, etc.
When he joined Radio Zulu, the station had just over 3 million listeners; currently it has 6 million and is recognised by the SABC as a major revenue driver with high brand loyalty and confidence ratings. Ukhozi fm staff members and clients will miss his professional approach to various issues.
