Bongani Njoli has died at the age of 54. Njoli, a born and bred Capetonian and veteran deejay, is best known as the man behind the iconic voice of e.tv’s Friday Action Night promos.
From the early 2000s, Njoli reminded us time and again of the action-packed movie line-up. But beyond his e.tv voice-over gig, he was also on radio.
In 1990, while still a student, he was at UCT Radio and in 1994 Njoli became the first black DJ on Good Hope FM. He continued his career at Heart 104.9 FM between 2007 and 2009, and joined Cape Town’s Magic 828 in 2016.
Alongside producer Gabi le Roux, Njoli founded Embovu Entertainment and he also worked on two SAMA-nominated albums in 2000.
Even though his voice echoed in our homes on e.tv for almost two decades, one of his former colleagues spoke out the troublesome years leading up to his death in an interview with IOL.
“People loved his promos on TV. Then over the last few years he really struggled to get work, radio stations ghosted him and he was desperate.
“We spoke just last month about how difficult things were for him. He looked frail and old, a shadow of the man I remember.”
According to a statement issued by eMedia, Njoli worked with them on a movie campaign in December 2022, but the project was unfortunately put on hold because he was too weak to record.
The cause of Bongani Njoli’s death has not yet been disclosed, he leaves behind his partner of 21 years and a 24-year-old daughter.
Tributes pour in for Bongani Njoli on social media
His voice still will forever be embedded into South Africans’ hearts. He is the legend you never knew that you needed to know.