Sasha Martinengo pays tribute to ex-colleague and good friend Darren Scott

Sasha Martinengo has posted a touching tribute to his former radio and TV colleague, Darren Scott.

As reported by The South African website, Scott, now 61, was diagnosed with melanoma, an aggressive kind of skin cancer, almost 40 years ago.

Recently doctors discovered new tumours.

BackaBuddy campaign

Scott’s current employers, HOT 102.7FM, issued a statement last Saturday regarding his latest health update.

They made mention of a BackaBuddy campaign launched by Scott’s ex-wife Sarah-Kate Accetta, aimed at assisting him with the costs related to his ongoing cancer treatment.

Accetta got in touch with The South African website on Sunday with a link to the BackaBuddy campaign.

At the time of publishing the campaign has raised a little under R230 000, with a goal of R960 000.

If you are in a position to donate, click HERE to do so.

Meanwhile, Martinengo took to social media on Wednesday to share how their paths crossed and how they became ‘very good mates’.

Hello friends

It isn’t often that I share many personal posts but this is one is different and very close to me.

I first met Darren Scott back when he was working for Capital Radio. He was by chance in Johannesburg broadcasting from a studio in Milpark just down the road from the SABC. I was working for Virgin Records at the time and Rick Astley (post his euro-pop time) had just released a beautiful record called Free. The first single was title “Cry for Help” and I went to deliver it to Darren to ask him to play it on his breakfast show.

To say that he was friendly would be an overstatement. We didn’t hit it off, but he was doing a show and I’m sure he thought who is this punk interrupting me. He did play the song though. Win for me.

A few years later while I was at 5FM, Darren joined as the weekend breakfast show host. Prior to that Darren and I had bumped into each other on one other occasion. Again, it didn’t go swimmingly.

When he joined 5FM I though, oi, hier kom kak. Yet the complete opposite happened. We respected each other for what we did, we found out that we had a lot in common and became very good mates.

To make friends in the broadcasting world is extremely difficult and rare. I could write a book on the various complexities surrounding it but just believe me when I say it is rare and uncommon.

Darren and I have managed to remain very good mates and we have worked together on various radio stations and of course at Supersport together. Our journeys have crossed paths more times than I can imagine but if he ever needed something, I was there for him and vice versa.

Darren has been instrumental in creating so many powerful projects to assist others. Wings of Change is just one of them. This was also the catalyst that created Hot Cares.

From Golf Days, concerts, Christmas in July parties, Spring and Summer events, Darren has always been the champion of causes to assist others.

It is with sadness if you have not read but Darren is battling cancer right now. His oldest son, Mark fought and survives cancer to this day.

Darren to me is the greatest broadcaster I know and have worked with. He works tirelessly to entertain, create and deliver pure genius. He is a genius.

Below is a campaign to assist Darren through this difficult journey.

In whatever capacity you know Darren I ask you sincerely to try and assist or at least share so we can get Darren healthy and fit again.

With Love

Sasha

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/just-plain-darren-needs-you

HOT 102.7FM statement

Recap

As reported by The South African website in late 2024, Johannesburg-based radio station HOT 102.7FM confirmed that Scott would be returning to host its afternoon drive show. 

The Just Plain Drive Show saw a return to South African radio for Scott, who had previously been in the United States for the 18 months prior. 

Scott is a household name in South African radio and television, having been in the business for 40 years, including stints with the likes of Capital Radio, 5FM, 702, East Coast Radio, OFM, and Jacaranda FM.

He also enjoyed a successful TV career, largely with MultiChoice’s SuperSport, where he fronted the hugely-popular ‘Boots & All’ rugby show for many years.

What happened to Darren Scott?

In a revealing post shared to Facebook, Scott explained how he has been living with a life-threatening skin cancer, melanoma.

Sharing a detailed account of his journey, he posted an almost unrecognisable photo alongside a more recent picture of him in hospital.

“The one on the left is me just over a year ago. My weight had dropped to 78kg and I felt like I was close to death,” he posted.

“The pic on the right is me in hospital this past weekend … finally getting a problem fixed after a rollercoaster year.”

When sharing more details, he explained that the first melanoma had been diagnosed as far back as 1986 … “as a result of many hours on a cricket field without adequate protection”.

“Since 1986 my body has been like a ‘pinball machine’ when it comes to this disease,” he shared.

“Discounting the numerous very early stage melanomas (malignant moles in simplistic terms), which have been removed without any follow up treatment necessary, I’ve had five more serious ones … that is, at a more advanced stage.”

Darren Scott went on to depict an agonising journey fighting not only the disease, but some adverse reactions to attempted treatments, one of which he suggests “made my own immune system turn on me! It hit me like a series of Mike Tyson blows to my gastro-intestinal region ….”

“I plummeted 15kg in two weeks and after being discharged from hospital with hordes of cortisone and an array of other medication, I spent the next few weeks, which became months, completely drained and battling to recover.

“That came with far too regular bouts of dizziness, blackouts and a complete loss of energy as I battled to maintain my weight above 80kg (normal for me being around 90-95kg).

“This ‘attack’ on my system started in July of last year …. and I only started to feel somewhat human again by November!”

After another recent health setback that led to his “body shutting down” two months ago, and which left him largely incapacitated, Scott needed to have his gall bladder removed.

“I finally feel human again after more than a year …. albeit less one gall bladder to go with missing lymph glands, a part of my lung and a section of my chin … and a whole new diet!” he described.

“The good news is … I’m back at that place where all I’m fighting now is my weight … that’s to try and keep it down, as opposed to trying to keep it up!”

You can read the full post from Darren Scott here

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