Durban - Glenwood off-the-grid guru Graham Robjant has never been in it for the money.
He has passionately and freely given people advice on solar power since the start of load shedding, while making a humble living, fixing electronic devices, as solar panels electrify his house and probes in the soil tell a pump when to irrigate herbs and veggies from his rainwater tanks.
Now, Robjant has embarked on another passion -- to stimulate the economy around his community through his “no religion, no politics” internet radio station that specialises in retro and rock music. He expects to launch it officially next Friday (February 12).
As he strives to grow it, he has invited locals to contribute voice-overs to advertise their enterprises, from side hustles to formal businesses, in exchange for things like furniture to make the little station a more comfortable workplace.
"It will be like going back to the barter system," says his operations manager Henry Paul
"It will be like one neighbour trading his chillis for another neighbour's brinjal from their vegetable gardens," he said.
“We need to work together, we need to bring a different culture to business.”
Paul, like jack-of-all-trades man Alex Clarke, has joined forces with Robjant after the economic impact of Covid-19 sent them into hard times. Then there’s also IT man Pooveshin Moodley.
The team hopes other communities will start similar ventures as a way to help people, and local economies, reset after Covid-19 and “return to being human”.
Robjant also hopes it will be a place where people can acquire a skill or two, such as mastering voice overs for advertisements. He also hopes to offer people the chance to be presenters.
"These days if you look for a job, you need experience but to get experience you need a job. We want to try to break that loop."
The radio station, like most appliances in Robjant's home, runs off solar power and is on air most days between 9am and 10pm. On a really miserable day without sunshine it might have to shut down earlier.
“But I would announce that at least two hours beforehand,” said Robjant.
The six batteries he has were salvaged when his house caught fire back in 2016 and 24 batteries were destroyed.
“If I got another six batteries I would be able to run it twenty-four-seven.”
Wary of making the station too advertisement-heavy, Robjant plans to air content such as shows on spirituality by his partner, Somalia pirate kidnap survivor Debbie Calitz.
She also keeps herself busy behind the scenes.
“I have managed to get an interview with (Australian author) Scott Balson from the Loving Life channel on YouTube,” she said.
Then security updates from Heather Rorick, weather reports from yachties in the harbour, a community with whom they are connected, and traffic reports from Lucas Olivier who has access to such information are also in the pipeline, said Robjant.
“It will be one way of getting messages out into the community,” said Rorick, who chairs the Bulwer Safety Forum and the executive Citizen Policing Forum linked to Umbilo police station.
“We hope especially to be able to warn people of crime and things that are happening, or events. It doesn’t all need to be doom and gloom.”
Sean Duncan, manager of the local Medwood Engen garage, said he supported the idea.
“It’s local and it’s important to get the community together.”
Once there is the critical mass, Robjant plans to apply to the Independent Communications Authority for a FM licence.
But for the meantime he hopes it will be the kernel that produces seeds for other radio stations and helps the world reset after being caught unaware by Covid-19.
To hear the radio station, visit http://Deevee8.com/radio
The Independent on Saturday