Home News Tribute to Muslim broadcasters in South Africa: Ashref Ismail

Tribute to Muslim broadcasters in South Africa: Ashref Ismail

by Salaamedia

By Humairaa Mayet

My show is the real deal – it is how I feel, it is who I am; and that is how people could relate to me. – Ashref Ismail

On Thursday, May 21, the #TributeToMuslimBroadcastersSA segment featured veteran journalist, Ashref Ismail.

A teacher, lecturer, writer, activist, and public relations practitioner; Ismail is best known as the host of Bumper to Bumper on Channel Islam International (CII).

After getting a diploma in journalism, Ismail began his broadcasting career on Radio Lotus in the early 1990s where he delivered a road safety clip and then moved on to Radio Bop. When he went for Hajj in 2004, he was recruited to join CII, where for years he was the bubbly and chirpy host of a light-hearted show which catered to a massive audience.

“It was real radio; it wasn’t a put on,” said Ismail.

Ismail is incredibly passionate about cars – he recalled that it all began when he was in standard 5 when he delivered a speech on the newest Lamborghini which led to him curating a car magazine collection of a mass scale: he had about 15 000 magazines which were destroyed in a basement flood a few years ago.

The highlight of his broadcasting career was the surprise CII gave Marhoom Ebrahim Gangat.

Radio is growing, said Ismail, it is accessible, intimate, and affordable. However, new angles must be considered, sensationalism and fake news must be avoided, and credibility and authenticity are of the utmost importance.

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

Watch the full interview here:

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