A light has gone out in the world and a giant “oke” has fallen: tributes have poured in for radio and television veteran Jeremy Mansfield, who died on Monday morning surrounded by family and close friends after a protracted battle with cancer.

In January, the radio presenter announced on Facebook that he had stage 4 liver cancer, after beating leukaemia 13 years ago.

Mansfield marked his 59th birthday on 16 August this year — a celebration marred by the death of his mother, Veronica.

Known as “Jem” to his friends, Mansfield was the face of The Rude Awakening breakfast show on 94.7 Highveld Stereo.

He had started his radio career in 1985 at Capital Radio 604, but was soon recruited from the Durban station to work for M-Net and SuperSport, before being appointed sportscaster on the John Berks show at 702.

In 1993, he became a regular feature on 702’s Saturday Afternoon magazine programme, which he took over three years later, alongside Jenny Crwys-Williams.

Mansfield spearheaded the creation of the weekday breakfast show, The Rude Awakening, with Sam Cowen, Harry Sideropoulos, Paul Rotherham and Darren “Whackhead” Simpson in 1997. Thirteen years later, he left Highveld to pursue other interests.

He joined Johannesburg community radio station, Hot 91.9fm, in 2018. 

The following year, Mansfield in the Morning won Best Breakfast Show, Best Content Production and Mansfield won Best Breakfast Show Presenter in the Community Radio category.

Mansfield also made a name for himself on TV with A Word or 2, which ran for 10 seasons on SABC2 from 1998 to 2008, and on the hidden camera show, Laugh Out Loud, which he co-presented with Simpson. He voiced the role of Lifer in Disney’s local release of Toy Story 3, hosted a weekly finance show, Mansfield’s Money Sense on CNBC Africa and had a YouTube channel.

‘A big softie’

Former colleague and close friend, Sam Cowen, who has provided updates on social media for Mansfield’s friends and fans, posted on Monday morning that a light had gone out in the world, with Mansfield’s death just before dawn.

“Jeremy lived large, he didn’t know how to do small. He loved hard, laughed loud and managed to combine mischief and mayhem with heart and soul. The city was brighter and lighter with him on the airwaves, he changed lives every day. When he wasn’t raising millions for charity, he was raising fresh hell!”

She said under a naughty exterior, Mansfield had a “huge soft heart”.

Mansfield set up the annual Christmas Wish charity drive, aimed at helping needy community members to pay school fees, pay for hospital expenses, and buy groceries. The Christmas Wish was broadcast on The Rude Awakening and on M-Net.

He was involved in the Hear for Life Trust, which was set up to do cochlear implants for the needy; the patron of The Sunflower Fund, and an honorary member of the SA Chef’s Association (Manfield’s Zhoozsh! Faking It won in the South African sector of the Gourmand Cookbook Awards).

Cowen said many people got to see and hear about his soft side over the radio, but he saved his vulnerability for a select few.

“He was determined that the world be a better and shinier and funnier place, and he drove the road to that destination at 1,000 miles an hour with no rear view mirror, all of the rest of us clinging on for dear life!

“We will miss him horribly. The family is devastated and is asking for privacy during this time.

“He knew he was loved and it mattered. He mattered. There will be a new star in the sky tonight. As he would have said, ‘Goodnight, Bunnies’.”

Cowen, who met Mansfield as a young, up-and-coming producer and reporter at 702, told Business Maverick they had instant chemistry. 

“We got on and had lots of fun — and lots of fights — but that was the magic of radio. After we both left radio, we stayed friends and when we got together, we’d just be grateful that nobody would be hearing us.”

She said when Primedia bought Highveld, which was envisaged as the group’s first terrestrial music station, Mansfield joined as their star turn. It was an exciting time to be on radio: “He launched that station and sales soared.” 

Most importantly, the listeners loved it. 

Cowen attributes much of this success to a policy decision at the start: Mansfield and his team committed to never discussing crime on their show, to give listeners a break from the endless reporting on crime.

“We just wanted to give people a three-hour window where listeners could escape and have fun. We provide a safe haven where listeners were allowed to be silly and naughty. I mean, he did crazy things — like posing naked as Botticelli’s Venus, which was an iconic billboard,” she laughs.

It was a wild time and the team went along for the ride.

In a statement this afternoon, the government paid tribute to Mansfield’s dynamic presence on radio and for his role in raising funds for charity.  

“Mansfield contributed immensely to the world of entertainment via the radio as a communication platform. He has left an indelible mark on South African radio,” said GCIS Director-General Phumla Williams. 

On Twitter, Crwys-Williams said, “When @702 called me this morning I knew it was to tell me @JeremyXVR had died. A gigantic talent, filled with humour, comedy and, occasionally, pathos. It was such a privilege to have worked with him and known him. Now he’s creating a riot up there.”

Anele Mdoda said, “Rest in Peace Jeremy Mansfield. The blueprint. The man who paved the path for us in radio. Rest now chap”; Alex Jay wrote: “If we could all have a friendship like that of @samcowen & Jeremy Mansfield, life would be much improved. No matter what, Sam was in Jeremy’s corner, right through to the bitter end. #RIPJeremyMansfield”; and Bruce Whitfield – a distant relative – said, “A giant oke has fallen — I have known Jeremy #Mansfield since I was two. We share common ancestry. He was a superhero to me as a kid and I was in awe of his brilliance as an adult. He brought joy, and occasional rage, to millions. Well done Jem.”

Cowen’s announcement on Facebook attracted thousands of comments and likes for the man with the big heart who was plugged into the spirit of his times. BM/DM