Rumour has it that Linda ‘Mr Magic’ Sibiya, who was fired from Ukhozi FM in January, will start hosting Vuma FM’s breakfast show from the 1st of July. Image: Drum.

Linda “Mr Magic” Sibiya’s fans will be thrilled to hear that the popular radio DJ might be back on the air waves in two weeks’ time. Last week, on the 12th, Isolezwe Newspaper reported that according to its reliable source, Sibiya will be joining Vuma FM from the 1st of July, where he will be hosting the breakfast show, which is currently hosted by his former Ukhozi FM colleague, Lucky Sefatsa. Sefatsa will then return to the afternoon drive.

Mr Magic was fired from Ukhozi FM at the beginning of this year after allegations of corruption were made against him. He had been working for Ukhozi FM for about 18 years. Soon after he was axed, Mr Magic vowed to legally fight the management’s decision. However, no further developments have been reported. Perhaps he has decided to let it go and move on with his life.

Although Mr Magic has not officially confirmed that he will be joining Vuma FM, his Thursday tweet seems to be about it. He tweeted, “Vuma njalo ku Jehova;vuma yena kuphela,vuma ngoba unawe ujehova,Vuma futhi kube yikhaya lakho lentokozo-Vuma nje kuphela.” He used the word Vuma five times. His tweet was retweeted by Lucky Sefatsa. Mr Magic’s followers then read between the lines and figured out that he was talking about Vuma FM. Responding to his tweet, they said they could not wait to hear his voice on Vuma FM. One of them said if he did join the station, they would follow him like Jesus.

Vuma FM is less than two years old. It was launched in November 2012. However, it has made it’s name as one of the most popular radio stations in KZN, especially among Christians. Nevertheless, it is still much smaller than Ukhozi FM. According to the latest listenership stats which were released by the South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF), Vuma FM has about 142 000 listeners whereas Ukhozi FM commands a staggering listenership of about 7.5 million. Many people believe that Mr Magic’s arrival on Vuma FM will significantly boost the station’s listenership.