South Africa’s legendary radio personality, and a pioneer of Muslim community media, Ebrahim Gangat, passed away Monday 13 May, following his recent battle with cancer.
The veteran radio presenter and social activist had been critically ill for the past few weeks. He breathed his last close to midnight on the 7th night of the holy month of Ramadan.
Born on 10 June 1956, Ebrahim Gangat began his career as a radio presenter at Radio Islam, where he quickly gained a following. He also had stints at Channel Islam International (CII Radio) before moving on to Salaamedia, where he touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people across Southern Africa through his iconic morning radio shows.
Speaking to The Cognate, Gangat’s colleague at Salaamedia, Ponty Moletsane said: “He was my mentor, friend and a father figure. He played a key role in my journey to Islam. I owe my being in this community to him. He never shied away from speaking the truth even though it is against his own people. He always taught me that ‘in Jannah, Allah will not recognize us through the colour of our skin but by our good deeds’. A true humanitarian, always left a smile to the people that he encountered.”
“His ability to transcend the limitations of boundaries by engaging in robust interviews with key people from Pakistan to Palestine and from Bosnia to Britain and bringing to life crucial international events affecting lives of Muslims around the world will stand out as his profound legacy”, said media commentator Iqbal Jassat.
This author too had an opportunity to be interviewed twice by Ebrahim ‘bhai’ Gangat, where we spoke on the current situation of Muslims in India.
His passing away will leave a huge void in the Muslim media industry, not just in South Africa, but across the world, to which he has contributed for over two decades.
The Cognate extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and media colleagues. We pray that Allah grants him the highest stages of Jannah.
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Shaik Zakeer Hussain is the Founder and Editor of The Cognate.
