In the middle of his mid-show on Gagasi FM on Thursday, June 8th, radio host Felix Hlophe was arrested, breaking the hearts of his listeners.
Hlophe, a host of the Gagasi FM breakfast program, spent the night in custody at the Westville Prison in Durban, KZN.
When a photo of him being arrested with shackles on his hands became viral on social media, his phone went dead, making it impossible for those close to him to contact him.
It was later discovered that Hlophe and Gagasi FM were conducting a campaign to raise awareness of crime in response to the startling crime figures in Mzansi.
A video of Hlophe’s detention was unceremoniously broadcast by Gagasi FM on Thursday.
Hlophe transmitted his show in real time from Westville Prison on June 9th, along with prisoners who were sharing their incarnational experiences.
In order to gain a better understanding of inmates’ lives, Hlophe spent the night with them behind bars. He advised his admirers to unwind.
“We chose to undertake the awareness campaign in cooperation with the Department of Correctional Service because Mzansi’s crime rate is still rising and young people are the ones who are being detained.
“I wanted to go through an arrest first and spend a night with inmates before I started talking about criminal awareness. While I was listening to them talk about their experiences, I couldn’t fall asleep, he admitted.
According to Hlophe, the goal of the campaign is to demonstrate to young people how their life might alter if they go to jail.
We want the young people to understand that crime is not profitable. They risk going to jail for possessing illegal weapons, participating in gang activity, and other criminal activities.
To illustrate my journey to the young people, we will release the documentary on our internet platform, he stated.
Presenting The Saturday Showdown season two on Mzansi Magic with Thato Moeng, the controversial comedian is known for his blunt humor.
Felix did indeed spend the night in jail as part of a criminal awareness campaign, according to Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesman for the Department of Correctional Services.
“We can’t give up on them,” he remarked, referring to South Africa as a young nation.