TV and radio personality Phat Joe has opened up about how his comments on the late King Goodwill Zwelithini put his life in danger but also changed politics.
He joked about how on a previous trip to Durban he spotted Zwelithini on the pavement, thumb in the air, hitching a lift from passing motorists.
He advised the king to buy a second-hand Uno with the 150 cattle for lobola he was expecting from the impending marriage of his two daughters.
The AmaZulu royal household demanded that the SABC do something about Phat Joe or ban his show.
Phat Joe, whose real name is Majota Kambule, was the latest celebrity to feature on Showmax’s Unfollowed.
He gave insight on his controversial career and shared his struggles on being able to evolve with society and why many radio stations have shut the door on his face.
For Phat Joe, being a DJ and playing music were just like an unstoppable train. He amassed quite a following over the years because of his style of presenting.
“I’ve always been a fun maker, all fun is trouble. You have to live on the edge sometimes, and when you are young, you test the boundaries of life,” he said.
Asked why his fun is always dangerous, he said it is only when one tests the limits that they are able to learn and grow.
“Everything that I have ever done that looked salacious or that looked dangerous, I planned it,” he said.
“It wasn’t like ‘Oh my God this thing is happening to me’. I am testing the medium and doing a psychological or sociological experiment.”
He said when he was at Y, formally known as YFM, the radio station started an entertainment skit where they used to make fun of celebrities.
He revealed that he left Y because he wanted to be with the winning team, saying he was not fired but chose to resign from the station.
Upon moving to East Coast Radio, he shared that he was also not fired for the Down Syndrome statement he made.
The controversial personality said he was actually fired for stoking public debate about Caster Semenya on Kaya FM in 2009.
He had made comments about Semenya not being 100% female.
“The day before I did my show, the news broke about what was happening with her [Caster], and I noticed that everybody was going in one direction.
“I took that approach to test the boundaries, to test the edge to see how people would respond, and I think it was one of the best shows ever on radio.”
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