RANJENI MUNUSAMY: Xolani Gwala's return to the airwaves brings hope and reason
'He is someone who is simply dedicated to his work, does it superbly and cares about the society on which he commentates'
EXTRACT
Later that day, I walked into the Cathedral of Our Lady in Munich and knelt down to pray. The magnificence of the elaborate Gothic architecture and a giant artwork of the Assumption of Mary into heaven have the effect of diminishing one’s own existence, so I struggled to find the right words.
All I could ask was: Please don’t let him die.
Last Thursday afternoon, Xolani introduced himself back on air and said his treatment had been successful. He explained that he had had three operations and aggressive chemotherapy. It would take time before he could consider himself cancer free, but for now he was healthy and ready to go back to work.
I was in Munich, Germany last September when I heard that star broadcaster and journalist Xolani Gwala was very sick. On the Radio 702 livestream, I could hear the voice of the usually unflappable Stephen Grootes quiver as he spoke to Xolani about his condition: advanced colon cancer. Xolani’s oncologist, Dr Omondi Ogudi, explained that the cancer had spread to his liver. Xolani was courageous in sharing details of his illness with the nation and, in an extraordinary way, comforted people that he was in good hands and mentally geared for what was coming.“It’s going to be a long fight‚ but a fight that I’m ready for,” he said. On the other side of the world, I felt disoriented and frightened. Xolani and I are not close friends but we grew up in journalism together, journeying from the tumult of the violence in KwaZulu-Natal through the political intrigues of democratic SA. The media industry is an odd, interconnected community that tries daily to piece together what is happening arou...
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