When Eshwin Klassen walked into the Auckland Park Studios in Johannesburg recently for his first day as the RSG (Radio Sonder Grense) Audio Visual Imaging Producer, he stepped into a dream that he had held for years.
Raised in Rosedale, Kariega, and a proud Uitenhage High School alumnus, Klassen always knew he wanted to work in radio. The path, however, was far from smooth.
Speaking to UD Express on how his journey started, Klassen said, “As a child, radio felt like pure magic to me. It amazed me how a simple voice, a piece of music, or the rhythm of a jingle could travel through the air and stir such powerful emotions without a single visual image. Growing up in Kariega, I found myself leaning in, almost dissecting every broadcast – how presenters carried their words, how transitions were timed, and how each sound formed part of a bigger narrative. That’s where the spark first caught fire.”
He added, “My journey to sound has always been about more than technology. It’s about discovering that audio lives at the intersection of art and science – a balance between creativity and precision.”
Klassen said that whilst studying Sound Engineering at Damelin College, he worked as a freelancer at a local radio station in Humansdorp to complete his Work Integrated Learning hours. After graduating in 2019, he continued volunteering in radio just to keep the dream alive. However, when job applications went unanswered, he took a job in logistics. “It wasn’t my passion, and I left to try again in broadcasting, only to face more closed doors,” he said.
“During the waiting years, I honed new skills, starting a small graphic design business and later my girlfriend and I launched a T-shirt brand, Boskop But Not Loskop, celebrating women with natural hair. I also worked as an ICT E-Cadre at Uitenhage Primary School, assisting teachers and learners with technology, whilst serving in the Roselane Boys’ Brigade Marching Band and managing media for Roselane United Congregational Church.
Still, rejection stung. Setbacks like this make you reach a point where you start doubting yourself, your career choices, and even God. However, I kept going.”
Early in 2025, after another close-but-unsuccessful interview for a Music Compiler role in Bloemfontein, an unexpected email arrived: the SABC was inviting him to interview for RSG – an interview that changed everything.
Today, Eshwin is responsible for RSG’s sonic branding, overall sound, and technical operations. His day-to-day duties include ensuring the station sounds great on air, that all studio equipment runs smoothly, producing promos, and creating station imaging for presenter shows, RSG On-Air, and SABC campaigns.
RSG operates from three studios in Johannesburg, one in Gqeberha, and one in Cape Town. Eshwin remotely assists with technical issues for studios outside Johannesburg and liaises constantly with Sentech and the SABC’s Regional Radio Technology Operations (RRTO) technical team to ensure the 1.3 million RSG listeners are on air 24/7, 365 days a year.
“One always prays for work, but you also pray for a good working environment and that’s exactly what I’ve received at RSG,” he said. “My line manager, Kobus Burger, and our Station Manager, Louise Jooste, are incredible leaders who constantly check in and motivate me. Not just that, the response from listeners has been incredible.”
Sharing a message with the youth that come after him, Klassen said, “Your journey may not look like someone else’s, and it might take longer than you hoped, but every skill, every side hustle, every disappointment prepares you for the moment when the right door finally opens. Keep believing, keep working, and never give up. I hope to continue to prove that persistence and faith can carry you further than you ever imagined.”
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