The moments worth hearing, as they happen.

Freddie Mercury would have turned 80

A 702 host marks Freddie Mercury’s birthday by imagining him performing at 80 and recalling his death at 45.

A cracked rap vocal was left in the final recording

The host recalls how a voice crack on Maureen’s cover of “Thinking of You” was never retaken or cleaned up.

Listeners solve 702’s mystery year: 1994

A nostalgic music quiz has callers matching songs, TV shows and memories to the mystery year 1994.

An actor broke down filming ‘The Intervention’

Applause on air

An actor recalls crying during a pivotal scene before a director urged one final take.

Aretha Franklin’s blunt Taylor Swift verdict sparks laughter

Laughter on air

A guest recalls Aretha Franklin’s memorable reaction when asked about Taylor Swift, prompting laughter in the studio.

A shy schoolboy was pushed into becoming a singer

A performer recalls how a teacher overcame his shyness and pushed him to sing before he later embraced music.

Hot Wheels TikToks inspire strangers to start collecting

A collector says people regularly tell him his TikTok videos inspired them to begin collecting Hot Wheels.

Hot Wheels collector says ignore hype and collect what you love

A collector advises beginners to follow their own interests and spot rare Super Treasure Hunts by their silver or gold flames.

A R56 Hot Wheels Ferrari can fetch R5,000

A collector explains how a rare Hot Wheels Ferrari bought for R56 can later sell for several thousand rand.

A family sheep keeps feeding guests into February

Laughter on air

A cookbook author describes slaughtering a sheep each December to feed family, friends and visitors well into the following year.

A rap verse goes from guest-house pies to Wakanda

A rapid-fire verse moves through wine, street bravado and hiding in plain sight like Wakanda.

Erica Badu taught a musician to embrace public correction

A South African musician recalls how a difficult collaboration with Erica Badu reshaped her approach to humility, mentorship and teamwork.

Jazz’s reinvention keeps musicians playing into their 90s

Jazz saxophonist Sesanka Conte says the genre’s constant reinvention keeps its spirit, musicians and audiences engaged.

Pap and duck spark a hilarious fine-dining tasting

Laughter on air

A chef explains his playful pairing of pap, duck and pear compote as the studio laughs through the tasting.

Luciana Zupa jokes about looking like Robert Whitehead

The veteran theatre performer recalls being mistaken for Robert Whitehead and missing an audition to play his brother.

Motherhood reshaped an artist’s sense of time

Laughter on air

An artist explains how writing Facing Roses for her daughter changed how she sees love, vulnerability and ageing.

A mother taught English through musicals and medicine songs

Laughter on air

A theatre performer recalls how his Italian mother learned English from musicals and made her children sing while taking medicine.

UCT team redesigns museum to make human evolution relatable

Researchers and museum partners created Cape Town’s Humanity exhibit to connect South Africans with the country’s deep fossil heritage.

Australia’s under-16 social media ban fails to keep kids off

A schools-platform executive says Australian children bypassed the under-16 ban using VPNs and other people’s accounts.

Radio veteran says he was ordained at age 12

A broadcaster recounts his path from interning at Hot 97 to using radio and events as platforms for ministry.

Community support leaves young bassoonist in tears

A young classical bassoonist describes how musicians helped replace her unreliable borrowed instrument with a new one.

The Fifth Step earns a strong review at Baxter Theater

Clarence Ford praises The Fifth Step’s actors and themes, encouraging listeners to see the production at the Baxter Theater.

A simple shoe carries a bigger South African story

Laughter on air

A showroom-opening story links an architect’s practical footwear to a wider South African heritage.

Artist turns legal ideas into a public tool through art

An artist explains how studying corruption and law led them to use art to question structures shaping everyday life.

Feltskin joins the Long March to Freedom exhibition

Feltskin says its partnership with the heritage exhibition reflects a shared South African story that crosses communities.

A 400-year-old shoe is made by 66 pairs of hands

Feltskin’s marketing manager explains how a centuries-old South African shoe became a modern, locally made business supporting jobs and skills.

Singer rediscovers her career through her son’s eyes

Laughter on air

An artist jokes that her son appeared in her music videos before birth and now proudly shares her music with others.

Saishen’s DIY hair dye ends in a fresh start

Laughter on air

Saishen describe bleaching and dyeing their hair themselves before accepting an unexpected clean-slate look.

A boogie lyric turns slow dancing into a floor invitation

A lively song passage moves from slow dancing to an exuberant invitation to take it to the floor.

Beyoncé joined Destiny’s Child at age nine

A broadcast tribute recalls Beyoncé’s early start with the group that became Destiny’s Child.

Beyoncé makes Grammy history with Cowboy Carter

The singer’s country and Americana album made her the first Black artist to win Best Country Album at the Grammys.

Brian Temba says talent alone won’t build a music career

Laughter on air

Brian Temba reflects on hard work, hype, AI and finding a distinctive sound in South Africa’s music industry.

Women hid a hacksaw in bread for a prison escape

Author Lebo De Seco recounts how her relatives tried to free a detained friend during apartheid.

Gloria Steinem remembered for boundary-pushing activism

An obituary traces Steinem’s journalism, feminist activism and the 1969 meeting that deepened her commitment.

Mary Robinson warns of a rollback on feminism’s gains

Laughter on air

A SAFM discussion examines the backlash against feminism and the need for critical religious scholarship in universities.

Campaign brings clan praises into South African Sign Language

Matlo Moloto explains how deaf specialists adapted seven surnames’ clan praises into South African Sign Language.

DStv plans a cheaper sports-focused package at R399

A TV critic outlines reported DStv changes, including a sports package that could cost subscribers far less than Premium.

Chantal Stanfield traces ‘Love Worth Fighting For’ to lockdown

[…]Ad break removed · edited excerpt

Chantal Stanfield explains how a lockdown collaboration with RJ Benjamin and Chime and Music eventually became her latest release.

Musa calls fame a drug with no rehab

Musician Musa describes fame as an addictive force and credits his father with helping him stay grounded.

NIROX spring jazz concert moved after rain forecast

NIROX postpones its spring jazz concert to 13 September because torrential rain is forecast for the original weekend.

Trading cards are making a comeback

The show highlights a renewed rise in Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic trading-card communities.

Barry Ronge’s peach book joke becomes a lasting legacy

A listener recalls Barry Ronge’s sharpest publishing satire and why his writing stayed memorable for decades.

Actor was mistaken for a Sotho spirit after learning the language

Laughter on air

A musician explains how playing a Sotho-speaking character inspired his first song honouring Sotho-speaking audiences.

Artist warns music is rebuilding racial walls

An artist says music and marketing are again being used to separate audiences along racial lines.

Artist says making art has saved her life

An artist describes creativity as a pressure valve that helps her stay regulated and keep going.

Author reveals her ghosts are very grumpy

A romance novelist explains why the ghosts in her Halloween-set book have agency, character arcs and plenty to complain about.

Guest says Africa’s reset requires courage

A Pan-Africanism discussion argues that courage is essential to face hardship and do the right thing without recognition.

Canceled homecoming show becomes Prev Reddy’s book

Prev Reddy explains how a canceled South African tour led him to turn his comedy show into the book Qualified Disappointment.