Sergie Naidoo remembered for his four decades of service to Radio Lotus
Veteran Radio Lotus broadcaster Sergie Naidoo passed on suddenly on Wednesday. Fakir Hassen who knew him since the start of the station more than four decades ago, reminisces about their times together.
In 1984, veteran broadcaster Sergie Naidoo joined Radio Lotus as one of the initial announcers under the guidance of Isobel van der Linde. The station's Chief Subeditor, Fakir Hassen, first met Sergie during this time when he was asked to co-host the breakfast show with Naidoo in Durban. Naidoo and Hassen, both working from the SABC's Johannesburg studios, alternated in their roles with Fareed 'Docky' Dockrat and Amitha Anand.
Their rapport grew as announcers, eventually leading to Naidoo's elevation to Programme Organiser within two years.
Naidoo's gentle demeanor and thoughtful thoughts rendered him an ideal counterpart to Hassen's direct style. As Radio Lotus expanded nationwide, Naidoo ensured technical capabilities for live broadcasts, such as when the station broadcasted Nelson Mandela's speech at Table Mountain. He also played a crucial role in organizing the first-ever live interview with Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, despite poor telephone lines connecting South Africa to India.
Despite a technical failure, Naidoo skillfully informed listeners about the issue and promised to retry the interview the following year.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
