Kaya FM has revealed that it let go of media personality Dineo Ranaka because she went absent without leave, with the controversial radio personality becoming increasingly erratic in the midst of her battle with mental health issues.
The station, which has come under fire from Ranaka’s fans and mental health advocates for seemingly dropping the controversial media personality at the height of her struggles, said it only got to know of her medical condition through her posts on social media.
Last month, Ranaka revealed that she had been diagnosed with severe chronic depression.
“Diagnosis: Severe Chronic Depression/PTSD. Existing conditions: Temporal lobe epilepsy Hypothyroidism. Attitude: Gratitude. Belief: I will be OK,” read a picture posted on her official Instagram account.
In an internal memo sent to Kaya FM employees last week, acting managing director Colleen Louw revealed that the station had done its best to accommodate Ranaka but all efforts had been to no avail.
“Kaya FM has announced the termination of the services of presenter Dineo Ranaka with immediate effect.
“The morning [show] presenter has been off air since the 22nd of May when she did not appear for her show, and the station was subsequently alerted to her public outcry on social media, which led to an unfortunate medical diagnosis,” said Louw.
While Kaya valued the mental wellness of its employees, Louw said, they had decided that the station’s best interests were served by cutting ties with Ranaka.
“Following several unsuccessful efforts by Kaya FM 959 to engage with Dineo Ranaka on her wellness journey, the station had to take a difficult decision to part ways with her.
“While we place great value on our people and their wellbeing, we have to balance this with the needs of the business.
“At this juncture, it is in the interest of the company to bring consistency to the station’s operational needs in order to best serve our clients and listeners.”
