LISTEN | DJ Fresh exclusively opens up about his move to Kaya 959 and music journey

DJ Fresh is gearing up to embark on a new chapter on Kaya 959 as its new breakfast show host after Sizwe Dhlomo’s exit.

On Monday the media personality sent a goodbye WhatsApp message to his colleagues at 938, saying stepping away was not an easy decision but rather a “personal and financial” one.

Exclusively speaking to TshisaLIVE, Fresh revealed he got into talks with Kaya 959 early last year but was not fully committed to the idea because he was building 938. However, for his career and family, he signed on the dotted line.

“I’ve always been purpose-driven, always been about my why.It feels like purpose. I’m not going to pretend there isn’t a deep sense of gratitude because there is, but I think, more than anything, it feels like alignment. I wouldn’t say this is a comeback in the sense that I went away, but it’s definitely a homecoming of sorts to what I’m passionate about. A format I love. Commercial breakfast radio. This is where I feel the most alive,” he said.

“The conversation with Kaya started early last year and as much as I was receptive to the idea, I was not fully sold because I was so committed to the 938 build, dream and vision of that frequency. Not only did I commit to it, but I loved it and I lived and breathed it but circumstances changed and I reached a point where I had to make a decision that was right for my family and my career.”

Breakfast radio gives you reach ... and the podcast gives you depth ... I don’t see them as competing. I see them as two rooms in the same house

—  DJ Fresh

Having started his radio career at age 19 at YFM alongside Thato Mataboge and Mpho Maboi, Fresh said this venture felt like a 360 moment for him.

“What made me say yes to Kaya was the clarity it came with. They were clear about what they wanted — clear about the terms, clear about the repositioning of breakfast and the station.

“When I look at the team that already is there, it’s a dream team, it is a breakfast show 22 years in the making because myself and Thato started working at YFM in 2001. Mpho, who was a listener, joined us in 2004 doing traffic, so the right opportunity came at the right time and this is exactly what it is.”

The last time Fresh was on commercial radio he was the breakfast show host on Metro FM. However, his contract was terminated in 2019 after a three-week dispute over his use of “foul language” on air, which resulted in a complaint being lodged with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA.

That didn’t stop him from launching a podcast called WAW! (What A Week) while he continued taking gigs as a DJ before helping to launch 938 in April 2025.

“WAW is mine. WAW is my IP and my creative space, and it serves a different purpose to a breakfast show because the podcast allows me to have deeper, longer conversations, the kind of content that wouldn’t fit into a three-hour music-driven breakfast show such as the one we’re building now.

“I’d like to think the two complement each other. Breakfast radio gives you reach, it gives you rhythm and the podcast gives you depth, and I suppose freedom that radio cannot give you. I don’t see them as competing. I see them as two rooms in the same house.”

This is not vindication. If anything, it’s continuation. I’ve always been here. The platform might have changed or evolved but I haven’t, I’ve always been here, and I’ll continue to be here

—  DJ Fresh

While DJ Fresh has made controversial headlines, he said living his truth has kept him going.

“I’ve carried on living my life, raising my kids, making content, handling my legal matters through the proper channels as and when the need arises, which is exactly what I did, and I suppose the outcomes speak for themselves.

“This is not vindication. If anything, it’s continuation. I’ve always been here. The platform might have changed or evolved but I haven’t, I’ve always been here, and I’ll continue to be here.”

On May 9 Fresh launched Fresh House Flava Volume 1 at Truth Nightclub, where fans gathered to celebrate the return of one of his iconic house music movements.

He is set to launch Volume 2, The Mad Half Hour Warriors edition, where he will reunite some of the DJs and personalities who helped shape one of the most influential eras in South African radio and dance music culture including DJ Sbu, DJ Cleo, DJ Mbuso and Clive Bean.

“For years people have been asking me about the Fresh House Flava CDs, the vinyls and the music that shaped so many memories for them. I realised this wasn’t only nostalgia but people reconnecting with a very important part of South African culture. These events are my way of celebrating and thanking the fans who have carried this brand for decades. Fresh House Flava has always been bigger than music. It’s about identity, memories and togetherness.”