Zweli Mbhele says goodbye to the nights and hello to the bright midday sun. Leaving his slot from 7–10pm, Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10am–2pm, he will now occupy the airwaves from 12–3pm on weekdays.
Mbhele’s love for radio grew when he joined Voice of Wits while studying a BA at the university. In 2013 he was scouted by 947 where he’s been ever since. Starting as a trainee presenter on overnight shows, he also worked with the team on content creation. Three years on (2016) he started on the 947 Night Show and the station soon named it Nights with Zweli. He also hosted the 947 Top 40, Saturdays 10am–2pm from 2018 until now.
The 947 Top 40 put Mbhele in the spotlight when he earned the SA Radio Award trophy for best music show.
During his time on radio Mbhele has interviewed local and international celebrities, including the likes of Trevor Noah, Ed Sheeran and Wizkid. He has also hosted music festivals and launches such as Castle Lite Unlocks, Sowing the Seeds, Coke Studio and the official Harry Styles and Ariana Grande album launches.
In addition to his passion for music, he hosts a podcast on Netflix’s Never Late | African Time., which is the first on the African continent. “As a witness to Zweli’s performance on 947 it’s been like the rise and rise of Zweli Mbhele and we are excited about his move to the midday show and of course, expect great things,” says station manager Ravi Naidoo.
Bolele Polisa, who currently hosts weekend nights on Sunday at 947 will fill the 7–10pm slot on weekdays. Polisa is a media personality extraordinaire. In 2022 she won the #TMSTalent competition and has also won two SA Radio Awards for Best Drive Time Host and Best Drive Time Show Campus. In 2021, Polisa presented her first Ted Talk at the University of Johannesburg where she covered her career journey and spoke about how self-mastery helped her thrive in the industry. She has also appeared on SABC1’s educational show, Daily Theta among others. Naidoo says: “Bolele is a huge personality and with her engaging conversational style, we know she’s going to do great things with the show.
“We welcome these changes as part of the 947 Refresh which is perfectly timed to pick on the energy around summer and all that the station has to offer now and moving forward,” Naidoo adds.
