Voice on the Airwaves: Ray White

by Daluxolo Moloantoa · Published June 11, 2024 · Updated June 13, 2024

Top left: Ray White with daughter Chloe during a trip to Paris in September 2023. Middle Left: Ray White is seen conducting an interview for the new BGTN TV channel. Top Right: Ray White with his certificate confirming his induction into South Africa’s Radio Industry Hall of Fame in December 2023, an honour that recognised his three-decade career in radio broadcasting. Bottom: Ray White and Khanya Litabe in the Radio Veritas studio during a broadcast of the “Matins” morning show.

His voice has been broadcast on some of South Africa’s most famous radio stations — and on Radio Veritas. Award-winning broadcaster Ray White spoke with Daluxolo Moloantoa about his long and distinguished career in radio.

His voice is familiar to many South Africans from broadcasts on Radio 702, Eyewitness News, SAfm, 5fm, and Radio 2000. And listeners of Radio Veritas frequently hear his voice as well.

Award-winning broadcaster Ray White, 52, is a co-host on Radio Veritas’ “Matins” morning show with Khanya Litabe and Mokgadi Maponya. Appearing on South Africa’s Catholic radio station is a matter of the heart for the recent inductee into South Africa’s radio Hall of Fame.

Born into a Methodist background, Ray was drawn to explore the Catholic faith when attending a Catholic school — and this journey “left an indelible mark on my life”, he told The Southern Cross.

In the early 1980s, Ray was a young rugby fan, aspiring to one day wear the Springbok’s green and gold jersey as a player. But there was a hitch in that plan. “Many schools did not play rugby. Instead, they played soccer. My frustration with not being able to play rugby at primary school level grew,” Ray recalled.

In 1984 he asked his mother, Pat White, to find him a school that played rugby. A daily drive looking for a rugby-playing school led them to the Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Boksburg on the East Rand. “One afternoon we stopped outside the gates of CBC. The school’s rugby team was involved in a fierce game. My mother asked if I could join in and I was allowed to play. A few tries later, the headmaster asked if perhaps I would like to join the school. Needless to say, my answer was a resounding ‘yes’.”

Best years at Catholic school

He describes his years at CBC Boksburg as “the best years of my life thus far”. This is largely because he could immerse himself in rugby — and it is where he started grappling with shedding his Methodist background in favour of a Catholic spirituality.

“I was never baptised as a Catholic, but my education at CBC Boksburg laid the foundation for what would practically become a large part of my life later on. To me, Catholicism is a way of life. It’s a culture and a belief. The support structure at my school, and the daily morning Mass, acted as a huge influence towards me deciding to follow the Catholic faith. It was amazing and I was surrounded by Catholics who welcomed me,” he said.

“Today my colleagues at Radio Veritas consider me to be an ‘honorary Catholic’. By that they mean that I have done so much work for Veritas and the Church that I should be Catholic. And I’m looking at the formal process of that.”

Ray has a 22-year-old daughter, Chloe, with whom he is very close. She is based in the Netherlands and is newly-engaged. Their travels through Europe last year were followed by Khanya and the Radio Veritas listenership through near-daily updates.

Long career in radio

Ray’s journey with Radio Veritas began in 2010. By then, he had already had an illustrious career in radio broadcasting, which has now spanned over 30 years. After his studies at Pretoria Technikon (now Tshwane University of Technology) in the early 1990s, he joined the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). “My career at the SABC included nine years as a news anchor at 5fm, reading on SAfm, hosting the breakfast show on Radio 2000, and ultimately becoming a news bulletin editor at Radio News,” he recounted.

“After 15 years at the SABC, I spent a year helping to launch eNCA. And thereafter, I spent close to another 15 years at Eyewitness News (EWN) and Radio 702, both under Primedia Broadcasting. Although I have left EWN, I continue to do some shows on Radio 702.” Apart from that, Ray is working for a new TV station called BGTN (Brics Global TV Network), which will launch later this year.

In his time he has worked with many notable people in South African broadcasting. Asked to drop some names, Ray said: “Oh, there are so many… Alex Jay was the first presenter I worked with, along with Ian F, Sasha Martinengo, John Robbie, Barney Simon, Darren Scott, and so on.”

For a broadcaster of Ray’s stature, a religious communality station like Radio Veritas which broadcasts on medium-wave might seem an unlikely place to get involved with. It happened by sheer chance, Ray explained. “A friend introduced me to Radio Veritas. They had requested radio training, so I held a session with the late station founder, Fr Emil Blaser, and the team. I was impressed with the station and became good friends with those who work there. The rest is history,” he said.

So he stuck with the station, thus following in the footsteps of one of the giants in South African broadcasting, the late Pat Rogers, who helped establish Radio Veritas more than 20 years ago. Ray is involved with Radio Veritas as a volunteer. “I’ve been assisting Radio Veritas for the past decade through training and at times supplying news. News is my passion. The news plays a crucial part in helping to shape and reinforce our country’s democracy,” he said.

‘Mandela wore my headphones’

From reading news on some of South Africa’s top radio stations, to meeting Nelson Mandela, he considers himself to be very privileged for having a career as distinguished as it has been. “Madiba visited 5fm while I was presenting news. He sat in my chair and used my headphones with a smile on his face. He was a very humble man. I’ll never forget the experience. I’ll never forget coming into contact with his ‘Madiba Magic’. He had a way of unifying people, much like the Springboks today,” Ray said.

In December last year he was inducted into the South African Radio Industry Hall of Fame. “When I grew up, I was inspired by Radio 702 and Radio 5, as 5fm was known then. The stickers of the two radio stations on the bumper of my mom’s Toyota became a visual image of my intention to become a radio presenter. The aim was to be on one of those stations. I since managed to work at both, at the prime of South African radio. It has truly been an amazing adventure,” he said.

An adventure he hopes to keep being part of is Radio Veritas. “I’m presently living my highlight at the station, working on the ‘Matins’ show with anchor Khanya Litabe. It’s great to speak to an enthusiastic audience every morning, with a blend of fun and spirituality. It is an honour to be part of this. This is what I consider as my way of giving back and playing my part in the development of the next generation of Catholic radio professionals,” he said.

Published in the April 2024 issue of The Southern Cross magazine