Kofifi FM presenter living life to its fullest
Kofifi FM presenter living life to its fullest
“Since moving to the West Rand four years ago, I have discovered so much more about myself,” said Ngwako Malakalaka.
He has been in the radio business since 2007, starting at Trans Africa Radio. He was part of the team that pioneered online radio in South Africa with the birth of Rhythm 100 radio, and has also produced content for various other radio stations.
Ngwako said that he was ready to hang up the headphones for good last year, because he felt that he was not getting anywhere and nothing seemed to be going right for him. “That is when one of my friends called me and asked if I would be interested in doing a show for Kofifi FM,” he said.
He added that he was not sure exactly what he was going to do, but he jumped at the opportunity and has been hosting his own jazz show for almost a year now. “The show’s name is The Sunday Soul Sensations. It’s on air every Sunday between 4pm and 6pm. This is where listeners can hear anything from soul to jazz – and everything in between,” Ngwako said with a big smile.
But not everything has been smooth sailing for this vibrant, positive 33 year old, who has had to fight quite a few battles, including cancer. He said, “I had a lump in my throat for almost two years, and when I went to see the doctor last year, he immediately sent me for some tests. After a biopsy was done, I was informed that I had thyroid cancer, and they would have to operate immediately to remove the lump. Radiation treatment followed the operation, and I am now due for a screening to see if everything is clear.”
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Ngwako said that he only had time to fully comprehend what was happening after the operation, and that is when he broke down. “During this time, I hit rock-bottom, only to find myself. I decided that I would not allow this to rule my life – I wanted to use this second chance to live life to its fullest. I am just so grateful for every day that I can open my eyes and do what I love – it is such a blessing! There is so much more to life than just me, and I want to do more – focus more on radio, do more family time and help others more,” he said.
“The biggest lesson I have learned through all of this is that we take life for granted and believe that we are guaranteed one more day, but that is not true.
Every day we open our eyes is a blessing and another chance for us to do what we love. I do everything; I love to write, read and explore a lot of music. This also helps to keep my mind off the screening results,” Ngwako said.
He has been married for eight years and is the father of two little girls, aged one and four. “Marriage has been an interesting and amazing journey. My wife is an amazing human being, who not only supports me as a radio personality, but as a friend as well. She also keeps me grounded. And our two girls are beautiful and have brought about a 360 degree turnaround in my life,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes.
He said that he lives by his motto of fame being a by-product of what you do, not your final destination, and said that his wife supports it too. “She always says she will not tolerate any of that (the fame and hype of being a personality) in her house and that I should take it elsewhere,” he said, laughing.
Ngwako wants to give local jazz artists an opportunity to showcase their work and get more exposure. “I would love to encourage other jazz artists within the community of Roodepoort to bring forth their work for promotion on my jazz blog, as well as on the weekly radio show. That way, I can help local artists get the recognition and airtime they need to get themselves noticed,” he said.
For more information, Ngwako can be contacted by sending an email to ngwakom@gmail.com, or on his social pages (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) – officialngwako.
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