FOR some a job or a career is just a means to an end, while for others it’s a calling.

Nigel Pierce falls into the latter category. Adored for entertaining listeners on Good Hope FM for a number of years before a bitter departure from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in 2019, Pierce is getting ready to return to Kaapse airwaves next month.

That split from the SABC silenced his voice for six years, but now that he is back on Heart 104.9 FM to lead the Drive Show from 3pm to 7pm with Jamie-Lee Domburg, who will cover traffic, and Jeremy Harris, on sport, Pierce promises to fill in the blanks in a tell-all show on 5 May 2025.

He tells the Daily Voice: “I know there’s been a lot of speculation about my sabbatical, and I get it, it’s natural to wonder what happened.

“But I’m going to answer that on the air on 5 May 2025. I’m ready now. Ready to be open and honest about the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

“A lot has happened in that time, personally, professionally, emotionally. I’ll talk about why I cried for days, about the things I’ve never said out loud before.

“The lessons, the mistakes, the failures, the things I had to face when no one was watching. And yes, even a few never-before-revealed radio secrets.

“It won’t be easy to talk about but I believe in honesty. I believe in connection. So tune in. Not just to hear what happened, but to hear what healing sounds like.

“I’m genuinely excited to be back on radio. It feels like coming home.

“But more than that, I’m humbled by the response. The warmth, the messages, the unexpected love. It’s been overwhelming in the best way.

“After some time away, you wonder if people will still care, if your voice will still matter. And to feel welcomed back with such open arms.

“It’s not something I take lightly.

NEW BEGINNING: The Nigel Pierce Show features Jamie-Lee Domburg (Traffic) and Jeremy Harris (Sport)

“What I missed most about radio wasn’t the mic or the music, it was the listeners. Honestly, they are gold.

“Their voices, their stories, their laughter, even their silence on the other end of the line, I missed that.

“Radio was never a one-way thing for me, it was always a conversation, a relationship.

“And when I stepped away, there was this quiet ache I couldn’t quite shake. It’s hard to describe, but when you’ve spent years talking with people, not just to them, their absence is felt deeply.

“I can’t wait to reconnect to hear their voices again, to be part of their afternoons, their routines, their lives. That’s the real magic of radio.”

Pierce’s deep love for radio is something that’s in his DNA, it comes from within.

He explains: “I started listening to the radio when I was just five years old. My mom, who has always been deeply passionate about radio, introduced us to the medium.

“It wasn’t just background noise in our house, it was the soundtrack to our lives.”

Pierce recalls the time he and his brother would call into various radio stations across South Africa and win competitions. He predicted twice the entire Radio 5 Top 10 and won R3 800 in 1988 and R4 200 in 1989.

He adds: “I’ll never forget the thrill of hearing my name on air.

“In that moment, I knew. I didn’t just want to listen to the radio, I wanted to be on it.

“But more than the money or the prizes, it was the connection to something bigger – the airwaves, the voices, the magic of radio that lit something in me. It felt like home. And in a way, it still does.”

When Pierce is not on air, he offers bespoke communication training and takes that gig very seriously.

He explains: “This work is deeply personal to me. We empower staff not just with techniques, but with belief.

“We work on presentation skills, yes, but we also work on the quiet stuff: nerves, self-doubt, the inner critic.

“And every time I help someone stand a little taller or speak with a little more ease, I’m reminded why I do this work.”

But when Nigel Pierce wakes up at 4.30am – like he usually does to get ready for the day – on 5 May 2025, he will do so as a man on a mission at Heart FM.

So be sure not to miss his return to his afternoon drive time show from 5 May as a Kaapse legend returns.

Articles by Viwe Ndongeni Ntlebi

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