Veteran radio personality and activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has confirmed she is taking legal action against Vuma FM following what she describes as a sudden and unjustified termination of her contract.
In a strongly worded media statement, Jacinta revealed that her legal team wrote to the station on August 1, demanding clarity on the decision to cut ties mid-month, an unusual move in radio broadcasting.
According to her, Vuma FM initially ignored the letter, only responding three weeks later on August 21.
“The response failed to provide any substantive reasons for the termination,” she said. “They claimed there’s no obligation to disclose such reasons, a stance I reject completely; it has no basis in law.”
Jacinta says that after waiting five weeks and exhausting all reasonable efforts to get answers, she now sees no option but to take the matter to court.
“I am pursuing this not just for myself, but for the principles I believe in. In our industry, reputation is everything. After years of dedicated service, I cannot allow myself to leave under a cloud of doubt while untruths circulate.”
Importance of transparency
She also emphasised the importance of transparency in the industry, saying: “The public deserves to know the truth. If this helps prevent someone else from going through what I have, it will be worth it.”
Despite the legal battle ahead, Jacinta says she had hoped for a more respectful ending to her time at Vuma FM. “I truly wished we could part ways amicably,” she said.
For now, while her lawyers take the matter forward, Jacinta will be focusing on new projects she’s been developing over the past few weeks.
Ngobese-Zuma left Vuma FM after calling the radio station home for the past six years.
Ngobese-Zuma, who founded the contentious March in March movement earlier this year, hinted that her activism may have cost her the radio gig she once called her “second home”.
The movement, which campaigns against illegal immigration, has been met with a fierce backlash from various quarters, including political figures, non-government organisations, like the Helen Suzman Foundation, and certain government officials.
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