DJ Vember brings his sounds home

ROB VEMBER has come home. And he’s brought a national radio show and three dogs with him. The 5FM DJ, who spent five years in Joburg at the SABC music station, returns to the Mother City with his early afternoon slot.

The last time 5FM had a permanent show in Cape Town was 11 years ago, when Alex Jay was on air. Since then, all its shows have been broadcast from Auckland Park.

Since May, Vember has been broadcasting with a sea view – from the corporation’s studios in Sea Point, in a space he hopes will soon be upgraded.

The 28-year-old began his broadcasting career at the training ground of much of the country’s on-air talent – Rhodes Music Radio in Grahamstown.

Vember spoke to the The Good Weekend this week, shedding light on his ascent up the radio ladder.

Vember was born in Mitchells Plain and grew up in Athlone and Bellville. He matriculated from Kasselsvlei High School.

“I was a loner,” he says. “After school hours, I would channel-hop between radio stations, pretending to be a DJ.”

At the time, he felt being a DJ was an ideal job: it paid well and was fun.

He made the cut for campus radio when he got to Rhodes, starting with the graveyard shift and eventually making his way to the breakfast show in his third year.

PICTURE: TRACEY ADAMS MAKING HISTORY: 5FM’s Rob Vember hopes to boost his Cape Town listenership by giving his show a strong local flavour.