Radio stars who ‘resigned’, were fired left Metro FM under dubious circumstances
Tbo Touch was not allowed to host his last show, while Unathi Msengana resigned because she was set to be paired with Khanyi Mbau for a morning segment.
Robert Marawa, Bonang Matheba, Glen Lewis and Tbo Touch. File photo
Touch HD founder Thabo ‘Tbo Touch’ Molefe spent more than a decade at Metro FM, and at the time of his departure last year, he was one of the highest paid radio hosts, earning about R200 000 a month.
He left the station after he got into a physical altercation with one of the show’s producers and was suspended for not playing a Hyundai advert worth millions.
Though Touch denied this, he did resign a few months after signing a new contract, but he was barred from hosting his very last show.
A meeting was set up to brief Bonang on the changes to her former show that aired at 10am weekdays.
She was going to be paired up with Lerato Kganyago, but Bonang apparently gave multiple excuses as to why she could not meet with the station and programme managers to discuss her new contract and show.
The star resigned without starting her new show, telling her fans on Twitter that her heart was broken.
Metro FM, meanwhile, said Bonang had given them the runaround, and they had no choice but to implement changes to her show as they saw fit.
Picture: Facebook
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Unathi Msengana abruptly announced her exit from the popular radio station after 12 years at the helm of the breakfast show with Glen Lewis and Melanie Bala.
She said she left because she was not happy with what was happening at Metro FM following a reshuffle that would have seen her co-host the breakfast slot with actress Khanyi Mbau.
Glen Lewis, now at Touch HD, left at a time when a new lineup was being announced. He would no longer present the breakfast show with Unathi and Melanie Bala, so he opted to jump ship and join Tbo Touch’s R28-million online radio station.
Glen Lewis. Gallo images
Robert Marawa was fired for not pitching up to present his sports show, which aired in the evenings on weekdays.
His producer was suspended for playing content from SuperSport, and in solidarity, he stopped presenting the show.
While the SABC released a statement that it had accepted Marawa’s resignantion, he denied this, stating he had not resigned and had heard of his contract being “repudiated” through other people.
