9 August 1995 – South Africa’s first National Women’s Day – was chosen because we wanted to honour all the women who had been instrumental in giving rise to the community radio sector and establishing Bush Radio, in particular.
Listen to an audio documentary on Bush Radio and community radio
This year COVID19 has proven the importance of community media in helping the fight against the pandemic, by being a vital source of information and supporting the communities we serve through our programming.
Our events to celebrate 25 years of broadcasting were put on hold, but now we have an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve and look towards the next – dare we say it – quarter of a century!
The 21st of September marks the International Day of Peace. It is a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.
In 2003 Bush Radio started its “Bush against War” campaign, at the time the United States government and its allies issued an ultimatum to Iraq around the issue of weapons of mass destruction. Bush Radio held various protests and “pavement broadcasts” encouraging a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately what is now known as the “Iraq Conflict” is still ongoing.
We at Bush Radio continue to encourage peaceful resolutions, but we can’t just hope, we encourage all listeners and supporters to “Listen, engage and do!” around all conflicts.
*The audio in the clip is taken from our original ultimatum in 2003 – the announcement is voiced by the late Zane Ibrahim and the remixed version of the anti-war song – Give peace a chance by John Lennon, features the voices of Ready D, Godessa and the young people from our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW)
*Pics sourced from the Bushradio Picture archive
*The conflict is also known as the War in Iraq, the Occupation of Iraq, the Second Gulf War, and Gulf War II. The period of the war lasting from 2003 to 2010 was referred to as Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States military.
Bush Radio is non-profit community radio and has been offering broadcast and training facilities to the people of Cape Town for the past 23 years, since before our first legal broadcast on the 9th August 1995.
An example of training course conducted at Bush Radio in 1993
As we celebrate our 23rd birthday, we are running a pledge drive during our birthday month – from the 1 – 31 August 2018 – where YOU can make a donation towards our work.
Bush Radio newsroom trainees in 2005 (front Nadia Samie and Lunga Guza , back: Megan Paulse, Busi Mtabane and Bronwen Heather-Dyke
We call on former interns, staff, volunteers, board members, NGOs/CBOs, artists, musicians, designers and companies who have benefited from our broadcast and training services or who want to support our work, to contribute towards making a difference in the lives of others.
Through such donation, you will contribute to the continued existence of Bush Radio, and also make the opportunity available to others to benefit from Bush Radio’s services.
Our bank details are as follows:
Bank: Standard Bank Name of account: Bush Radio Training Account Account number: 07 119 4185 Branch name: Mowbray Branch code: 004909 Address: 37 – 39 Main Road, Mowbray, Cape Town, 7700 Swift code: SBZAZAJJ (for international donations)
If you would like a receipt for your donation, email the proof of payment to donate@bushradio.co.za
For more information please feel free to contact us on 021 448 5450
If you are a (small or large) business you may want to consider showing your support by taking out an advertising package on the station.
The tags below are just some of the names of individuals who have received training through the work of Bush Radio
13 February 2018 is World Radio Day– a day to celebrate radio as a medium: to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.
Radio is the mass media reaching the widest audience in the world. It is also recognised as a powerful communication tool and a low cost medium
At the final Bush Radio Open Forum meeting for 2017 on the 5th December the annual Zane Ibrahim Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Shiraz “Cazzman” Ramjee who also hosts Retro Rewind.
The Zane Ibrahim Award recognises volunteer service that ensures the voices and interests of the community represented on-air and through the various social upliftment projects of the station and is named after the late Managing Director, Zane Ibrahim.
Remember to catch Shiraz on 89.5fm or via www.bushradio.co.za every Sunday at 10am.
At the monthly Open Forum meeting tonight (9 April 2015) it was announced that the 2014 Zane Ibrahim Volunteer of the Year award goes to the entire team of The Dank!sh which is broadcast every Saturday on 89.5FM from 6pm to 8pm. Congratulations.
Today marks Zane Ibrahim’s 73rd birthday – we have been receiving many tributes to him via our Facebook group and from emails sent to the station from around the world since we announced his passing – including from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and local tabloid Die Son.
Bush Radio would also like to thank Voice of the Cape and Radio 786 for helping to spread the word of Zane’s passing.
Many people have been asking about a memorial for Zane and we are consulting with his family as to how to best celebrate Zane’s life and will post details once these have been finalised.
We thought we’d share a few of the messages that have come to us and the tributes paid to Zane via other media. Click on the pictures to view the original post.
From the Cape Argus Life section
The famed managing director of South Africa’s Bush Radio has died. The current program manager at Bush Radio tells Carol about Zane Ibrahim’s legacy.
“We have only been free for a few years and look at what we have built here. The US has been free for 200 years and your laws still prevent people from building places like Bush Radio?”
He shocked us with what is now his much quoted saying ’90% community. 10% radio’ but as debate flew around the room we soon saw how right he is.
The Prince Claus Fund is saddened by the news of the passing of Zane Ibrahim of Bush Radio, recipient of the 2000 Prince Claus Award.
In die mediawêreld was hy ook ’n bekende reus wat aktief was by baie radiostasies regoor die wêreld.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February 2013 as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.