Advocacy group, Right to Know says the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) has failed community-based media. This is as the country marks World Radio Day on Sunday.
Many community radio stations are battling to survive, and Icasa’s latest decision to grant more licenses could exacerbate the problem.
South Africa has over 200 community radio stations, which are often a source of information for those living outside major cities.
Right to Know programmes manager, Thami Nkosi says community radios are important for communities.
“It’s not about them wanting to make a decision about how many community radio stations we can have and how many community radio stations we cannot have. In 2019, there were 15 community radio stations. They were de-licensed by Icasa, they were de-licensed by Sentech. I don’t want to hear anything from the MDDA, I don’t want to hear anything from Icasa, because they failed communities in fact. Community radios are important for communities, in the administration of the democratic dispensation in this country.”
World Radio Day | Challenges faced by community radio stations: Thami Nkosi
South Africans urged to continue supporting radio
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya has urged South Africans to continue supporting radio as it remains one of the powerful media platforms.
The world commemorates World Radio Day on Sunday, under the theme ‘Trust and Radio’.
Siweya has acknowledged the role of the medium in attaining freedom.
“We celebrate this day. we want to call on everybody to continue to utilise the platform, to continue to support various media stations to ensure that we attain and maintain the democracy it brings. As we celebrate this day, the government remains committed through various institutions like GCIS and the MDDA to ensure that we empower our community media platforms. We also want to continue to ensure that historically disadvantaged communities get to grow and be on the same level as commercial media,” says Siweya
