Remembering smooth voices
Ahmed Bawa – physicist and academic
“Down with rheumatic fever at the age of 13 and consigned to bed for six months, my dad bought me an electronics set to fiddle with. A box full of wires and electrical components of various kinds and a masonite board with holes in it that would be the platform for my ‘inventions’.
“I surveyed the electronic components – matched them to the pictures in the manual: Resistors, diodes, transistors, capacitors and so on. I learnt how to read off the resistance of the resistors by deciphering the colour-coded rings on them.
“There were different lengths of copper wire in plastic sleeves of different hues. And a pack of spring-based terminals.
“I followed the instructions in the manual and assembled an electromagnet, a timer, a water detector, a flashing light and so on. It was great fun. Finally, I got to the last project in the manual – building a radio that would operate in the AM frequency range.
“After winding, unwinding and rewinding coils, connecting up the components, setting up an aerial, putting on the earphones, I switched on. No sound at all. Dead.
“I checked each component, made sure that each connection was made with sufficient physical contact and then switched on again. Now there was a crackling sound through the earphones.
“I turned the tuning knob, again just a discontinuous, erratic buzz. I checked each component again and neatened the layout to reduce any possibility of unwanted contacts between wires and wires or wires and components. By this time, it was evening.
“My mother complained that I hadn’t done any schoolwork that day. But I was too engrossed in this project. I tried again. Earphones on, batteries connected, and then tuning the set in infinitesimal steps through the range of frequencies. Something sounded different this time as I went through the frequencies.
“There was some modulation and suddenly I heard a jingle I knew well: ‘Who keeps you up to date and in the know, LM Radio’.
“I screamed out and a cousin came
rushing into the room. ‘It’s David Gresham,’ I said.”
Judge Thumba Pillay
“I remember very distinctly listening to the BBC. It was the go-to service to glean the world at war. Through the news bulletins and current affairs programmes, I discovered people like Winston Churchill, Dwight D Eisenhower, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Listening to the radio sparked off my interest in politics.
“I was addicted to the news. Back home, the wish was for the United Party to defeat the Nationalist Party. I was so engrossed that I used to sit up late at night to listen to the results from the different constituencies on Radio South Africa. My wish came to nothing. Radio influenced me in no small way. I got involved in the 1946 Passive Resistance campaign – it received plenty of publicity in my home suburb of Clairwood.
“My quest for justice enabled me to be part of the executive of the Natal Indian Congress under the stewardship of Dr Monty Naicker. As it turns out, I’m the only surviving member of the structure.
“I completed my secondary school education at Sastri College, and, if anything, my activism became more intense. The radio was never far away as I needed to be in the know.”
Rehana Khan Parker – Cape Town human rights lawyer
“Indian music and entertainment ruled in our home as we listened in Swazi Radio and, specifically, Radio Truro aimed to feed the Indians in us.
“When dad was not around, mum would take over and tune in to Esmé Euvrard’s recipes in Afrikaans and I can hear her voice ‘n koppie suiker’, and LM Radio for some cool 1970s songs which would bring the singer out in me.
“In the latter 1980s, Lotus FM ruled, and I would pencil my top 10 for the Saturday charts, year after year as long as I would remember – television did not cater for our culture.
“At some point, Binaca Geetmala reigned with the smooth voice of Ameen Sayani on Radio Ceylon with the opening words ‘Behno aur Bhaiyo’ (sisters and brothers).
“His voice was enchanting, and I had the good pleasure to meet the man in person in 2016 to tell him he was my hero and swayed me out of the dark days of apartheid serving as my escape in our tumultuous times. How can I forget Safee Siddiqi?”
Ela Gandhi – chairperson of the Gandhi Development Trust and Phoenix Settlement Trust
“As I grew, I began to be exposed to Radio Freedom which we used to listen to in secret.
“We were able to connect to the station now and again, getting news of the Struggle both inside and outside the country. Radio Freedom made us aware of the value of authentic information, and helped us understand the issues we faced from the perspective of the oppressed people in South Africa, both black and white.
“We were able to formulate a picture of the struggle being waged by the people in exile. But we also got to know a lot of the true facts about happenings in the country. Facts were either hidden from us or were distorted.
“Then came stations like Capital Radio which gave us plenty of vital information and analytic talks on the situation in the country. It is these radio stations that conscientised us and made us realise the extent of apartheid oppression suffered by the people. The orchestrated violence by the apartheid government was revealed by the radio bulletins.”
Goolam Suleman Khan – a Johannesburg resident and author of Frontline Legends: Memoirs of the Underworld
“Radio is an incredibly important medium that has been actively shaping our society for over a century. It serves as a source of information, entertainment and connection, reaching millions of people locally. The significance of radio lies in its ability to reach diverse audiences regardless of social or economic backgrounds.
“Unlike television or the internet, it requires minimal resources to access, making it a widely accessible and inclusive medium.
“Radio enables individuals to stay informed about current events, listen to a variety of music genres, stay connected with their communities and even learn new things through educational programmes.
“Moreover, the medium plays a crucial role in disseminating emergency alerts and warnings, making it an irreplaceable public safety tool. Furthermore, radio fosters a sense of community by giving a platform to local voices, artists, musicians and activists. Its non-visual nature allows listeners to tap into their imagination thus engaging them in deep learning experiences.
“Overall, radio’s importance lies in its ability to transcend societal barriers, amplify diverse voices and provide an audio connection that is both informative and entertaining.”