Cape Town - The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has raised concerns about what it said was unfortunate misinformation and misrepresentation of facts about the reasons for the closure of the Khayelitsha-based community radio station, Zibonele FM.
This as the management of the station postponed a march to Icasa due to what it said was an intervention undertaken by the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
The office of the minister was quizzed about its interventions but did not respond by time of publication.
The station has been operating without a licence since 2018 after the licence lapsed and is expected to go off air from today, after broadcasting for 28 years.
The regulator said it had no intention to shut down any community broadcasting service licensee operating validly and in accordance with its licence terms and conditions.
However, it said after Zibonele FM’s licence expired in October 2018 the station failed to submit the required renewal application in accordance with section 19(2) of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) of 2005.
Furthermore, the regulator said the station failed to provide proof that its renewal application was submitted to the authority before the expiry date.
“In terms of section 7 of the ECA, no person can provide (or operate) a broadcasting service without a licence. As a result, Zibonele FM is currently broadcasting unauthorised, and Icasa is duly obligated to enforce the law.”
This is despite station manager Mawande Jara’s claim that the station had proof in the form of emails and documents that applications were made to the regulator six months before the licence expired.
Jara said since 2018, the station and Icasa had an administrative misunderstanding regarding the renewal of its licence. Jara said the station had submitted numerous renewal applications to the regulator which were declined.
He said the station was now awaiting the results of the latest Invitation to Pre-Register that closed last month.
He said for the past 10 years Zibonele FM had been on the top spot in terms of listenership in the province and was the second biggest community radio station nationally, and it had won numerous awards as the best station.