Nonn Botha returns ‘home’ to Kaya FM after leaving 702

A month after hosting her last show on 702 and bidding farewell to her ardent listeners, Nonn Botha confirmed her return to Kaya FM.

“I’m still in rest mode; hence I’m back as a freelancer. My home, where I started my commercial radio journey back in 2005 when Kaya was still in Newtown,” Botha told The Citizen.

Last month the seasoned broadcaster announced her departure from 702, where she had spent nearly a decade on the station’s airwaves.

In a statement Botha said she left the talk station for “personal reasons”.

As I prepare to leave @Radio702 Thank you for allowing me to keep hope alive in song from 1 July 2015 to August 2024 my last show was Sunday 4th August 2024 .Thank you .So much pic.twitter.com/wl4nTAXNxt

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— Nonn Botha (@NonnBotha) August 22, 2024

Back home

“I really want to reset, recharge, reflect,” Botha told The Citizen at the time.

The Kaya move is not a permanent one though for Botha, as she is standing in for Spade of Hearts host, Xola Dlwati who is temporarily away.

Kaya FM’s commercial programmes manager Maekanya Morotoba confirmed the move to The Citizen. “She’ll be joining us as a stand-in presenter,” said Morotoba.

Botha was at Kaya FM in 2005 and left around March in 2015. “I’ll be standing for him for the next three Sundays, starting with this one and the following two Sundays.”

ALSO READ: ‘I really want to reset, recharge, reflect’ – Nonn Botha on her departure from 702

702 memories

Botha spent nearly a decade at 702, where she was first hired by Pheladi Gwangwa in 2015.

Reminiscing about her time there the former Soulful Sundays host spoke fondly of her former colleagues at the station and her loving fans.

“Yoh, I still remember the likes of Xolani Gwala welcoming me. I remember the late Karima Brown you know, enjoying the music and just having really amazing things to say, the late Eusebius McKaiser would even write about listening to the show,” said Botha, reflecting on colleagues who’ve passed on.

“But the listeners man…particularly during Covid when a lot of people couldn’t go home and touching base with us and coming in from a music perspective at a talk station, to keep hope alive.”

Through 702’s partnership with the music festival Joy of Jazz, Botha got to be an emcee at the Dinaledi stage at the festival in 2019 and that too was one of her highlights.

“And oh my God, I remember seeing myself on a billboard,” she said.

There was a billboard promoting her show on the station, which was situated on the highway coming from the Vaal coming into Joburg. “As a girl born in Alexandra but grew up in the Vaal in Evaton, to see myself on a billboard in a big city, that was nice,” she said giggling.

The station has yet to announce who will replace her, but the broadcaster had some advice for the yet-to-be-appointed person. 

“Just be you. I was being myself and I’m grateful I was allowed to be myself on air in terms of execution, in terms of the sound, curating the sound… and what I love about where radio is now – listeners don’t have to wait forever to connect with you, they can connect with you on your socials.”

“So, whoever is going to take the show, just be you and have fun. Listeners can tell if you’re not being you-positive vibrations!”

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