John Perlman: extraordinary man of the people

Abstract

This social media post on the radio station Kaya FM's Facebook page epitomises the ordinariness of John Perlman, radio personality and soccer fanatic - ordinariness that simultaneously singles him out as a man of the people and, through the familiarity of the greeting Ntate John (Mr John), elevates him to a man who gives and commands respect. The Southern Sotho word of respect for an older man, ntate (father), has no equivalent in any of the other South African indigenous languages, partly because of its ubiquitous use by the Basotho in addressing not just fathers but all men of a certain age, partly because it is also a title used to address the divine. The Great Hymn, a Sesotho hymn in use in many Southern African churches, ends with the lines 'Amen Ntate, Amen Ntate/Amen, re a o rorisa' (Amen, Father, Amen, Father/Amen, we praise you). John Perlman was born in Johannesburg in 1959, one of four children of Dr Mike Perlman and Ina Perlman. His mother was described upon her death in 2012 as 'a diminutive, energetic, resolute, chain-smoker ... whose humanitarian efforts during apartheid affected millions'. At the height of apartheid there was widespread starvation, especially among children, in the rural areas of South Africa. To address the issue of starvation, Ina Perlman founded the non-profit organisation Operation Hunger in 1981, which she ran with very little help.