Veteran broadcaster David Mashabela is taking his popular “The King David” podcast to national television, marking a major milestone for South African podcasting as the long-running platform prepares to air on SABC2.
The move signals a shift from digital-only audiences to mainstream broadcast television, positioning Mashabela’s podcast among a small but growing number of locally produced long-form conversation shows to make the crossover from online platforms to public broadcasting.
Mashabela told Sunday World this week that the transition is less about personal achievement and more about access.
“YouTube reaches about 4-million people in South Africa, while the SABC reaches over 20-million,” he said.
“This move allows stories that were previously limited to people with internet access to reach everyone, including ordinary mamas and papas.”
Known for its in-depth, unscripted conversations with well-known South African personalities, “The King David”
podcast has become a space where public figures speak candidly about their lives, careers, and personal struggles, often in ways not seen on traditional media
platforms.
Mashabela said the idea for the podcast was born out of concern about South Africa’s failure to properly archive its own stories. “We don’t have a proper library of South African stories,” he said. “If you want to understand the full journey of some of our biggest names, there’s nowhere to go.”
That concern was reinforced during a previous project with a government department that housed a library meant to archive the history of nursing in South Africa.
“The archive stopped in 1994. That’s when I realised that if we don’t document ourselves, our stories will eventually be told by other people, and from their
perspective.”
Unlike many podcasts driven by trending topics, Mashabela says his approach is guided by the guest’s life story rather than predetermined themes.
“I don’t plan conversations around masculinity, identity or trauma. Those topics come up naturally because people talk honestly about their lives.”
The podcasting space has since become increasingly crowded, something Mashabela is candid about.
“Everybody thinks they can do a podcast. There’s also a tendency for political figures to use podcasts to push narratives, and for some creators to allow that in
exchange for views.”
Despite the challenges, the move to SABC 2 represents growing recognition of podcasting as a credible storytelling format.
Mashabela believes public broadcasting is well-placed to bridge South Africa’s digital divide, particularly as access to online platforms remains uneven.
“SABC has always been able to take information to people who are not online. That’s something digital platforms still struggle with,” he said.
As “The King David” podcast prepares for its television debut, Mashabela said the core purpose of the platform remains unchanged.
“I still see it the same way,” he said. “The goal is to build a library of South African stories, conversations people can return to years from now.”
The show’s broadcast on SABC 2 is expected to introduce Mashabela’s long-form interview style to a wider audience, while marking another step in the
evolving relationship between digital media and traditional broadcasting in South Africa.
