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Phat Joe ditches Heart FM fans

CONTROVERSIAL broadcaster Phat Joe - real name Majota Kambule - has turned his back on the thousands of fans of his popular breakfast show on Heart FM in Cape Town.

"I have decided to focus my time and energy on my television show Real Goboza (RGB) on SABC 1 and MTN's new cellphone radio service, MTN Play Radio," he has said.

This news comes on the heels of Heart FM station manager Gavin Meiring also having made a headline-hogging departure.

Brandon Leigh, who has been a regular stand-in for Phat Joe over the past three years, is the temporary replacement.

Phat Joe had worked with a "crew" that included Nick Feinberg as sports anchor, traffic anchor Julian Naidoo, producer Melanie Jones and technical Producer Francois Nel.

He was known for landing the station in hot water with his pranks and outspoken nature and his best air moments include:

- Challenging the City of Cape Town on the "open toilet" debacle;

- Spearheading the station's "Two Guys and a Wedding" multimillion rand promotion, and;

- Making himself "available" for selection in the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament.

But fans loved him, regardless ... while others might have loved to hate him.

Unsurprisingly, Cape Town listeners, who had enjoyed a special affinity with Phat Joe, have not been showing Leigh much love since Phat Joe bolted last Friday.

Among some of the messages from seemingly distraught fans still pining for Phat Joe on the stations's Facebook and website pages, were:

- "It's boring in the mornings (no offense to the new DJ), but I miss you";

- "My mornings are so blue without PHAT JOE...";

Inimitably, Phat Joe has had a roller coaster existence as an entertaining broadcaster, who has worked on radio stations including Radio Bop, Yfm, Metro FM, Kaya FM, Heart 104.9 FM and now MTN play radio.

He was thrown a lifeline at Kaya FM to host the Phat Joe Morning Show, but was fired with immediate effect after making controversial statements about the Caster Semenya gender conundrum saga;

SABC1 canned his show - which was called The Phat Joe Show, but he is now co-host of Real Goboza with Pearl Thusi on the same channel;

He was one of the pioneering DJs at Yfm between 1997 and 1999;

In 2001 he slammed e.tv, saying working there was like "being in Afghanistan being run by the Taliban", and for ridiculing former talkshow host Felicia Mabuza-Suttle.

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