MBOMBELA – Barely a month after Rise FM has celebrated one year on the airwaves, have the skeletons started to fall out of the closet.
The dismissal of on-air presenters seems to be prevalent, with the latest encounter being a little bit out of control.
Arthur Marime, affectionately known as Riimz, claims to have been fired without notice and says he is not the first one to be subjected to such treatment by the station’s management.
“I was just going to the show for my shift as per usual, when the head of programming for Times Media Group, Ferdinand Mabalane, called me into his office and told me I was fired with immediate effect and had to evacuate the premises.
As if that was not bad enough, I was told I would not get paid for the month. In fact, he told me I owed the station and said he would show leniency and not make me pay,” said Riimz.
During the interview with the disgruntled former DJ, Mpumalanga News learnt that roughly four more people had left the station in less than four months.
The station’s former head of news, Portia Adams, former Afternoon Drive host, Sam Jagger and Kgutsho Mamabolo known as DJ Vibes, had also left the station. Zingiswa Chirwa, who co-hosted the breakfast show, was also due to leave the station.
Mpumalanga News contacted the above-mentioned and they confirmed that they were no longer with the station.
“If you want the full story on why I left Rise, I suggest we arrange a one-on-one interview and I tell you my end of the story. I would rather not talk about it over the phone. But I can confirm that I am no longer with the station,” said Adams, who now works for the Democratic Alliance.
Jagger did not hold back, she told the paper how unfair her dismissal had been and how much had she tried holding on to her job even when she felt her dignity was trampled upon by management.
“My case is now with the CCMA. I was basically very vocal about stuff and they made me go. They started by cutting my salary by a third. I stayed anyway and made other means to cover up for that money. But I believe you cannot risk your dignity as a person for any job. I came for my show one day and was told to pack my stuff because I was being dismissed,” said Jagger.
However, Vibes chose not to disclose his side of the story, but his silence was loud enough not to ignore. “I left Rise in December, I wasn’t fired. I am currently busy with other projects. I cannot just expose what happened there without seeking advice from the relevant people,” he said.
Asked whether he would go back to the station, Vibes said, “I would never go back to that station. Of course I will forever be on radio, just not on Rise!”
Chirwa, who hosted her last show last Thursday, said she felt it was time to focus on other things.
“I really cannot talk to the media about my reasons for leaving the station. It is for my own personal growth. From here on, I will take some time, pause and consider other options presented to me,” she said.
However, Ferdinand Mabalane, had disputed claims against him, saying the presenters were fired for breaching their contracts, while others had resigned.
“I cannot speak for Portia or Zingiswa, because they have handed in their resignation, but Riimz, Sam, and Vibes have committed internal transgressions and we have had to follow protocol to get rid of them. We issued out verbal and written warnings, and eventually had to fire them,” he said.
Asked whether it was true that he is trying to strategically wipe out the former MPower FM staff to start all over with his own, he said, “That is absurd! There is no such thing, why would I do that? I am just doing my job in ensuring that the station is running smoothly.”
Mabalane had admitted to sending an SMS to Riimz, warning him that he was watching his every move.
“He knows I will tell it as it is, so he is threatening me and telling me that I’m under his watch. There is more going on in that radio station than meets the eye, and the people must know,” concluded Riimz.
Mabalane further released an official statement which read thus:
“For the purpose of closing this matter amicably, please find below the reasons as you requested.
I need to hasten to say that all our presenters hold independent contracts, a standard industry norm, important too, note in the case of Riimz, Vibe and Sam. Zingisa and Portia are a different case as they we permanent staff members.
“I really hope that the answers provided below will sufficiently deal with the questions you sent earlier, and that as Rise FM, we will not be unduly prejudiced from a factual perspective as I earlier cautioned. Should you, however, need additional information on any of the individuals, required please let me know.”
Riimz
• Fired without notice – in terms of his contract, termination is immediate on breach. He breached his contract and we were therefore within our rights.
• Pay is related to days worked. He only worked three days in March, and he will be paid (today) for them.
• Owed the station money – that is a lie, and not the reason he has been dismissed. Again, he breached his contract and that was the reason for termination.
Portia Adams
• Portia resigned, and has found a position (we are told) with the DA. She has not shared her reasons for leaving, we parted on good terms and good luck to her.
Sam Jagger
• She was dismissed for a number of reasons, mainly non-performance, being consistently late and non-attendance at training/coaching sessions, which are obligatory for all presenters.
• It was not a dismissal, she was an independent contractor, she breached her contract and it was terminated.
• She has unsuccessfully taken the matter to the CCMA, which does not have jurisdiction, and we are awaiting further correspondence from her.
• With regard to her pay, she was previously by default presenting the Afternoon Drive show. When we evaluated her for the new format, we found her unsuitable for a main daytime show, but offered her an alternative position in early morning.
The remuneration for this day part is much lower, but we still paid an above-market rate to assist her. Yes, it was lower than previously earned, but better than no position at all.
• Her performance generally was below what was professionally required.
DJ Vibe
• He did not come to work as required in December, no reasons were ever supplied and he never came back.
Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful and we had no choice eventually but to terminate. We cannot wait for contractors to come back to the job.
Zingisa Chirwa
• She has resigned and is working out her notice period. We will be conducting an exit interview and will then understand her motivation for leaving.
“In terms of these people leaving, it is actually over a long period of time, as Jagger left many months ago.
Vibe left of his own accord in December, ditto for Portia and Zingisa recently. Riimz was dismissed because of ongoing contractual breaches, which could not continue to be tolerated.
“The facts above clearly demonstrate the valid reasons for these people leaving, and there is nothing ominous to be read into it. The new format was introduced a year ago, has been very successful and is a winning formula.
In fact, we have a higher audience already after nine months (December research) than MPower ever achieved, reaching 133 000 listeners,” he ended.
