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Tribute to Muslim broadcasters in South Africa: Late Munadia Karaan

by Salaamedia

By Humairaa Mayet

[Munadia] would take pride in making sure people were happy and covering stories that mattered. – Goolam Fakier

Best known as the host of Open Lines, Marhooma Munadia Karaan was an iconic personality and a veteran journalist who took the world of Muslim media by storm. A presenter, news editor, and program manager at the Voice of the Cape (VoC) radio station, she was a “hardcore journalist” who impacted the lives and careers of many.

Salaamedia’s Shakeel Garda and Aqeel Wadee spoke to Goolam Fakier, Karaan’s former assistant.

Fakier joined VoC in 2002 as a volunteer and then as a technician in 2003, after which Karaan took him under her wing. She treated him as her “little brother” and mentored him over the years, funding his studies and assisting him in his career as a journalist.

After 11 years of working with her, Fakier fondly remembered her as an exemplary journalist who tackled issues without any qualms. He recalled her “grilling” her father, the late Mufti Karaan of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), on live radio but also hosting entertainment segments, illustrating her duality in the industry.

Her dynamic persona would make people want to tune in and engage with her, and she was admired by many. Karaan was brilliant at what she did; she juggled multiple positions at once and even transcribed her entire show while it ran and uploaded it to VoC’s website as soon as the program had ended.

After Karaan was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, she still continued to work for VoC, developing the website and hosting shows from home.

Fakier remembered Karaan advising him to seek the truth and “remain humble,” and she often emphasised the importance of objectivity. Many lessons can be taken from her life, most importantly those of impartiality and passion towards one’s career. He recalled her saying that writers were born – one must have a flair for writing and it is a skill that must be honed – writing cannot be learned.

Prominent personalities; Shafiq Morton, Shenaaz Ebrahim, Tasneem Adams, and Jakes Rawat all submitted video tributes honouring Karaan which were played during the segment.

The #TributeToMuslimBroadcastersSA segment on Salaamedia is an exclusive Ramadan broadcast on our platform, inspired by the late Ebrahim Gangat who was well known for his broadcasting talent.

Watch the full interview here:

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