By Karyn Maughan
After nine years as one of South Africa's most revered journalists, SAfm morning radio presenter John Perlman has woken the country for the last time.
His departure was marked by protests and extraordinary tributes, including a full-page advertisement endorsed by Cosatu and 221 prominent people and organisations.
The advertisement praises Perlman as an "excellent and patriotic journalist".
"For more than a decade, Perlman has led the pack as a feisty, thoughtful and deeply committed voice. He has helped ensure the public broadcaster has offered a platform for ordinary people to debate many diverse issues in the public interest," it says.
The advertisement says Perlman's departure is an enormous loss for everyone interested in current affairs and anyone with an ear for entertaining and intelligent journalism.
"He has made us all more respectful of the SABC."
The advert also attacks the SABC. "We are appalled that the SABC seems oblivious to the talent at its disposal.
"Perlman is the latest in a long list of high-quality journalists who have been sidelined or hounded out of the organisation.
"We salute you, John Perlman, and we thank you for the many hours of riveting radio you have brought us."
The signatories included human rights lawyer George Bizos; Jacob Zuma's aide, Ranjeni Munusamy; the head of the Johannesburg Development Agency, Lael Bethlehem; the National Labour and Economic Development Institute; and the SA Football Players Union.
As Perlman calmly greeted his AM Live listeners this morning, Freedom of Expression Institute picketers started protesting outside the SABC's studios.
In a live broadcast on SAfm last year, Perlman contradicted SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago's denial that the SABC had an editorial blacklist of commentators critical of South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The SABC's chief executive, Dali Mpofu, then ordered a commission of inquiry into the allegations, which found that the SABC's denial of a blacklist was "misleading by omission".
Perlman's refusal to go along with the denial was praised by Media Institute of South Africa head Raymond Louw as "extremely courageous". But, some six months later, Perlman resigned.
He has yet to comment publicly on what motivated him to leave the SABC.
Perlman also elicited praise from some of his on-air adversaries.
"I dealt with him many times as an interviewee and there were times when you would feel that his punch was a bit heavy," African National Congress spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said, adding: "but I would always try to punch back... that is the nature of a healthy democracy."
He described Perlman as a "very good, very professional journalist whose work... has been a great help to our country".
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said his departure would remain a "blemish on the reputation of the SABC".
In a member's statement to the National Assembly on Thursday, she added that Perlman was the kind of journalist who put the ethics of his profession before everything else.
"Those of us who thought that as public representatives we would breeze through an early morning interview with John, found ourselves waking up earlier and earlier to prepare.
"But there is no aggression in John's voice, only a polite, yet undying urge to run after the truth and hold us all to account," she told MPs.
Satirist Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) said on Thursday that it was "an absolute scandal that he (Perlman) has been run out of the SABC by (head of SABC News) Snuki Zikalala's Stalinist approach".
"He is fearless and intelligent... and you definitely have to be on your toes if you're on the end of his questioning," he said.
On Friday a Zapiro cartoon depicted Perlman leaving the SABC while other staff walked through a brain-washing machine and "free thought detector" operated by Zikalala.