- Pastor Bongi Gumbi Magudulela says adding Shembe and Christian programmes at Radio 2000 boosted listenership while keeping sport shows intact.
- The former uKhozi fm DJ now runs a ministry and trains young South Africans to start farming with support from funders.
Former uKhozi fm DJ and executive producer Pastor Bongi Gumbi Magudulela says including the Shembe Church in Radio 2000’s faith programmes helped grow the station’s listenership.
The ordained pastor from Africa For Jesus Ministries revealed this in an interview on Podcast, Radio and Stuff this week.
“When I joined Radio 2000 as an executive producer, it was mainly focused on sports,” she said. “I realised we needed to diversify by adding music and faith content. At that time, there was only one faith programme — about the Jewish religion.”
She said she proposed including other religions, such as Christianity and Shembe, and the response was immediate. “The listenership grew faster than we expected,” she said. “But we made sure not to remove sports since it was our main source of revenue.”
Magudulela, who spent 11 years at uKhozi fm before joining Radio 2000, said she was proud to have left the station in a strong position.
She is the daughter of the late Professor Rachel Gumbi, the first black female professor at the University of Zululand, who died in 2015.
Now, Magudulela focuses on her ministry and youth development. “I work with private companies and partners in the United States to fund programmes that train young people in farming,” she said. “Some of them now supply supermarkets like Pick n Pay with their produce.”
Pictured above: Pastor Bongi Gumbi Magudulela says Shembe faith content helped Radio 2000 gain listeners.
Image source: Africa For Jesus Ministries
