The National Community Radio Forum issued a press statement after their meeting with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) yesterday.
Again Bush Radio is very concerned about these developments and we believe that a closure of one station is worrying. We call upon all parties involved to look for an amicable solution for the continued survival and growth of the community radio sector.
We also encourage communities, individuals, organisations and businesses to support their community radio stations.
This morning during a scheduled engagement with the Community Media sector and the new Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu before his budget vote to Parliament, members of the sector handed a memorandum to the minister to highlight the current plight of community media.
The Minister felt that he was ambushed by the sector as he was under the impression that it was a simple “meet and greet”.
Below is the memorandum as it was issued.
MEMORANDUM TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY, 17 July 2019
Community radio, print and TV sectors
Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the country
has made impressive gains in the promotion of media diversity through support
for emerging, small commercial newspapers and community broadcasting services
serving the majority of the people who were previously excluded.
In the early 90’s media activists, many of whom are in
this room today, fought for the establishment of the Media Development and
Diversity Agency, tasked with the supporting community and independent media in
South Africa. Since then the regulator has license over 200 community radio
reaching an estimated audience of 8 million and 6 community TV stations
reaching an estimated, collective audience of 14 million.
Community Newspapers by Independent publishers print in
excess of 6 million copies per month with a readership that exceeds 20 million
South Africans in all 11 official languages. Collectively the sector employs
tens of thousands of previously disadvantaged individuals countrywide.
Unfortunately, in the last decade or so, these impressive
gains have been rolled back as stations have struggled for survival in the face
of weakened institutions (MDDA, GCIS and ICASA), state capture, government
complacency and failed promises.
Year after year the sector attends “engagements” with the
DoC, GCIS and the MDDA. Every year we regurgitate the same challenges and
propose the same solutions. Every year the government and its agencies promise
to address the issues and then nothing is done.
This year is different. The community media sector is on
the verge of collapse with an estimated collective debt sitting at around R180
million. This is made up largely of debts to SAMRO & CARPASSO, SENTECH,
SARS and rental. As we speak stations are being served eviction notices from
their premises, retrenching staff and getting deeper into debt.
It makes no difference whether the MDDA and GCIS report
to the DoC or to the Presidency, as long as something gets done. The sector simply cannot be allowed to fail.
We call upon the Presidency to implement the following immediate measures:
• Provide emergency relief funding to pay off the collective debt to SARS, SENTECH, SAMRO & CARPASSO (paid to stations or directly to debtors – to avoid CSD challenges) – R150 million for radio, R15 million for TV and R15 million for print.
• Increase MDDA budget to allow for annual grant for all community broadcasters and increased support for print publishers.
• Build MDDA capacity at board and operational level to speed up grant approval and disbursement.
• Implement the Parliamentary Portfolio Directive (Nov, 2011) to spend 30 % of government adspend on community media.
Additional measures to improve the sustainability of the sector are outlined in the full memorandum
An eyewitness account by Brenda Leonard, Bush Radio Managing Director.
The Mitchells Plain Backyard Dwellers invaded two pieces of land on Saturday, 14th May at 13h00. Approximately 2000 people invaded the first piece of land which is next to the Kapteinsklip Station. Over 4000 people invaded the second piece of land next to the Swartklip Indoor Sports Field. The City Police gave the invaders a warning and asked them to dismantle their structures and disperse, but people refused. When night fell, the City Police and SAPS withdrew from both sites. On Sunday, at about 10h15, the City Police and the Anti-Land Invasion Unit of the City of Cape Town moved in to demolish the structures at Kapteinsklip station, and they removed the materials that people used to build their structures. Four people were arrested.
At approximately 14h00 on Sunday afternoon, the City Police, SAPS and the Anti-Land Invasion Unit of the City of Cape Town moved in to demolish the structures at Swartklip Sports Field. People formed a barricade to prevent them from entering the site, and the City Police and SAPS then used teargas to disperse people.
When this did not work, they used a water cannon to disperse the crowd and to break down the shelters.
When people resisted the breaking down of the shelters, they arrested the people. The situation escalated and the SAPS and City Police used rubber bullets to disperse people. The invaders and surrounding communities retaliated and threw stones at the City Police and SAPS, causing them to withdraw from the site. The residents then burned tyres in the road trying to prevent the City Police and SAPS from coming back, and it resulted in thirteen people being arrested at Swartklip Sports Field.
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