Cape Town - One of the country’s longest-standing community stations, Radio Zibonele in Khayelitsha was taken off air on Wednesday following licensing issues.
The instruction came from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) since the station has been broadcasting without a licence since October 2018.
The 28-year-old broadcaster failed to submit an application for renewal of its licence before its expiry.
The news was announced by Radio Zibonele board chairperson Mtheleli Vellem live on air.
“We bring you bad news today as the board solely because we want to ensure that we work together with Icasa in resolving this issue,” he explained to the listeners.
“We do not want to be seen as being unruly, we would like to announce that we will be off-air up until we meet with Icasa,” he said.
Despite revelations by the Weekend Argus that in a letter from the Minister of Communications Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the station admitted that they failed to comply with Icasa licensing rules since 2018, he continued defending the station on how it handled the matter.
He said there was one time they were late with the licence renewal application but they disciplined the person involved and made them sign a warning.
“We made the station manager sign a warning and we created a team to make sure that we get a licence.
“If we are on air because of compliance then we will be back soon unless the discussion would be about something else,” he said.
Vellem told the listeners that they will continue to broadcast on DSTV boutique and online as these platforms do not require a licence from Icasa.
Staff will be reduced if the station does not return to its frequency soon.
Distraught listeners called before the station went off their radios asking whether there is anything they can do. Others even offered to fund raise for the station if money was a problem.
Khayelitsha is the second biggest township after Soweto. The station has a reach in Khayelitsha and beyond. It also has community upliftment programs, a burial society and teaches young people broadcasting.
The community members prevented the transmitter from being taken to Icasa saying they cannot afford to lose the station.
Malibongwe Badi who is a stakeholder said their focus is not on who to blame but to get their station back.
“We need Radio Zibonele back on the air.
“People depend on the station for community news and they do not have data to listen online.”
Cape Peninsula University journalism lecturer Dr Sisanda Nkoala said when a community radio station closes it's not just the end of a media entity but an end of an entity that develops the community.
“An entity that provides a platform for community members to discuss matters that affect them. It’s the end of an entity where the community gets to know and hears itself.
“Radio Zibonele was a voice for Xhosa-speaking people in the Western Cape and a very youthful-sounding station.”
She adds that the station allowed the Khayelitsha community to share what is happening on the ground, unlike other media organisations that are not plugged into the community.
“It really points to a need for a more sustainable model for community stations not just in terms of financing them but in terms of giving them the skills and the know-how to administer the station properly.
“One can't necessarily fault community stations because often the people who work there are passionate about the media and might not have the grounding.
“They may be passionate about their community and I do hope that something like this does not happen to other stations that we have in our province.”