The Joyride
Meet the cool cats behind OFM’s quirky afternoon drive show, weekdays, 15:00 – 18:00.
Nico’s Bio
Born in the lovely mining town of Randfontein on 9 February 1984, Nico van der Westhuizen started his first school day in Port Elizabeth before moving to Cape Town. At the age of 12, his family relocated to Bloemfontein and he has called the City of Roses home ever since.
Another proud alumnus of the University of the Free State (UFS), Nico also met his wife Yolandi at Kovsies and the two are proud parents to a beautiful baby daughter.
Nico already started experimenting with radio as a child, making news and weather recordings on his tape recorder at home. From this, he graduated to DJ-ing at garage parties and once he enrolled at UFS, he got involved with campus radio station KovsieFM.
Once he hit the airwaves Nico was scouted by OFM and did a brief stint in the evening and on the OFM top 40. After that, he hung up his headphones, put on his corporate shoes and was involved with various projects for OFM and Central Media Group. The last seven being spent in the digital realm at Digital Platforms.
What most attracts him to the medium is its immediacy, something that always keeps you on your toes and alert. Also, radio allows one to tap into listeners experiences on a one-to-one level. Furthermore, Nico loves being able to tell stories, sharing his own experiences, relating on different levels, and creating a special bond with listeners.
Although one could easily mistake Nico as the good-time party guy, there is more than meets the eye. In his downtime, he loves researching history and is admittedly a bit of a Stars Wars nerd. He also has a soft spot for the elderly and loves helping them when and where he can.
His favourite quote: “If you can’t be good, be good at it!”
Nikki's Bio
Nicolene van der Linde, or Nikki, was born in the North West and spent her pre-adolescent years in the town of Klerksdorp. The wonder of radio was instilled in her as a child when she saw OFM at the local Show as a little girl. She attended high school in Bloemfontein and it has been her home for the better part of her life.
After obtaining her degree in Media Studies and Journalism at the University of the Free State(Kovsies), Nikki headed to the UK to get some life experience (or at least pay off her student debt). After almost three years there, she returned home. Nikki then tried her hand at several jobs, including waitressing, customer service, sales, and even interior decorating!
Nikki headed overseas again and taught English in South Korea for seven years. This is where she realised that South Africa is home and media is life. Back home she received training and worked on-air for MedFM, after which she was recruited by OFM – the very station she adored as a small-town girl.
Her favourite quote, which Nikki tries to apply to her daily life, is: “Education is not something that you can finish” by Isaac Asimov.
Jaybee’s Bio
Pulling the strings behind the scenes JayBee Makhalemele was born on 26 February 1989 in Bethlehem, and moved to Harrismith in 2003 where he matriculated at Harrismith High School in 2007. Thereafter, he was on to the University of the Free State and later WITS Business School, where he also obtained a qualification in 2015.
His journey with radio started at the campus radio station, KovsieFM, where he presented. He later became the marketing manager and also music compiler. OFM listeners might remember Jaybee as Martin van der Merwe’s ‘guinea pig’ when he worked as an intern on Siesta in 2013/14. He left OFM to work in television at the end of 2014, but returned to his first love four years later and is currently also the programme manager at KovsieFM.
When he’s not behind the mic, making arrangements or producing, Jaybee likes to unwind in the great outdoors and enjoys camping and fishing. Furthermore, he is a fitness fanatic, who is also a gamer that loves getting ‘random tattoos’. So you can always expect the unexpected when it comes to this gentleman.
Jaybee’s favourite thing about radio is that you can be someone’s companion and friend.
His favourite quote: “Smile and wave”.
Kayla's Bio
Kayla Barker is a vibrant young woman born and raised in Bloemfontein, Free State. She is passionate about people and any chance to influence a life excites her. “We have each been given a voice for and with a purpose and when it goes unused, the world misses a valuable contribution.”People choose to use their voices in many different ways, physically by means of speaking, literary by means of writing and some even just in the way they choose to live.
Kayla sees and chooses purpose in the combination of these and believes that media platforms create spaces for this to harmoniously come together and be of impact. With this, she seeks to use platforms to share and gain knowledge. She values intellect and believes that everyone should be given a space to learn and grow through shared stories.
Her studies and experience are in the BA field in Strategic BrandCommunications, covering topics such as critical thinking and media studies. She also has experience in human resources and team building.
Kayla is driven to deliver the purest form of herself by means of excellence, boldness, confidence and charisma in all that she does.
In her own words, Kayla aims to "Inspire, empower and to equip".
