Sisanda Nkoala

South African broadcaster, author and political analyst Eusebius McKaiser passed away suddenly on 30 May 2023 at the age of 45.

News of his death reverberated through media channels.

Tributes bore witness to the impact of his voice and the enduring significance of radio as the medium through which many first encountered his outspoken, insightful commentary.

McKaiser blazed a trail that helped inform public debate in contemporary South Africa.

Radio in South Africa has long been acknowledged as a significant arena for engaging in meaningful public discourse.

This is extensively documented in scholarly literature. This includes my own work as a scholar of rhetoric in South African media.

McKaiser’s career played out in a particular historical context. South Africa’s airwaves were freed after democracy in 1994. Before this the state had tightly controlled radio during apartheid, silencing black voices and imposing strict censorship when they were eventually given