SOUTHSIDE OFFICIALS AND LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY HOLD ANOTHER MEETING WITH ICASA ABOUT ITS STRUGGLES FOR A FREQUENCY

ICASA OFFICIALS MAKE A COMMITMENT TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBILITY OF SOUTHSIDE BEING GIVEN A FREQUENCY FOR PHOENIX, NORTH COAST AND CHATSWORTH

(Mr Krish Naidoo, Dr Micky Chetty, Subry Govender, and Mr Marie Ramaya Pillay. (Front) Ms Leah Mayina and Ms Fikile Hlongwane) The struggles by Southside FM Radio to obtain a frequency in order to start broadcasting took another turn on Wednesday, January 23 (2019), when senior officials and community leaders held another meeting with ICASA officials. The meeting, held at the ICASA Head Office in Centurion, near Pretoria, followed intense negotiations and communications with the ICASA CEO, Mr Wellington Ngwepe, about Southside’s struggles since 2009 for a frequency.

(Dr Murthi Sooboo) The meeting also followed a meeting that Southside held with Mr Ngwepe and his officials at ICASA’s office in Durban on December 11 2017. The officials who represented ICASA at the Centurion meeting were Ms Leah Mayina, General Manager of ICASA Licencing Department; Ms Fikile Hlongwane and Mr Philemon Molefe. The delegates who represented Southside were Mr Subry Govender (secretary), Dr Mickey Chetty, President of the South African Tamil Federation; Mr Marie Ramaya Pillay, immediate past President of the SATF; Dr Murthi Sooboo, Trustee of the Pretoria Tamil League and senior leader of SATF; and Mr Krish Naidoo, former member of the SABC Board, who attended as a guest of Southside. In his introductory statement, Mr Subry Govender gave a brief input about the struggles by Southside FM RADIO for a frequency since 2009 and the intensified interactions and communications with ICASA in 2017 and 2018. Mr Govender pointed out that at a meeting in Durban on December 11, 2017, the ICASA CEO, Mr Ngwepe gave an assurance that he would look at some alternatives and he would come back to Southside within a matter of two weeks. Mr Govender also said Mr Ngwepe made a commitment that once the digital migration programme was completed by 2019, Southside would be given priority in being granted a frequency that would then become available. Mr Govender informed the ICASA officials present that members of the target audience of Southside had become increasingly disillusioned and wanted to know why the community was being marginalised by ICASA. He called on the officials to give a clear indication as to when Southside would be granted a frequency. Dr Micky Chetty, Mr Marie Pillay and Dr Sooboo also expressed their disappointment at the failure of ICASA to grant Southside a frequency despite the efforts by the leaders and officials over the past 10 years. Dr Chetty, who represented Southside at a meeting with ICASA sometime in the early years of Southside’s struggles, pointed out that the community was being misled despite representations to Government leaders since 2009. “We want a clear statement that Southside will be assisted to get off the ground,” he told the officials. “We cannot continue to be frustrated.” Dr Chetty, Mr Pillay and Dr Sooboo made it clear that something must be done urgently to help Southside being granted a frequency. “Urgent steps must taken to help Southside,” said Mr Marie Pillay. Responding to the strong sentiments expressed by Southside delegates, Mr Molefe said he fully understood the frustrations of Southside officials and leaders but said nothing has changed regarding the lack of frequencies in the urban area of Durban. Mr Molefe said they did try to help Southside with frequencies in Pietermaritzburg and Port Shepstone but these were not taken up. They were told these did not cover the target market of Southside. After further lengthy inputs by Dr Chetty, Mr Pillay and the other officials, Mr Molefe and Ms Leah Mayine said they would check whether they could help Southside with a frequency in the Phoenix, North Coast and Chatsworth areas. They would forward this in writing to Southside in the last of January or early February. In their final submissions, Dr Chetty, Mr Marie Pillay and the others reiterated the importance of Southside being granted a frequency so that the radio station could be launched as soon as possible. Once launched, Southside could play a vital role in being a Voice of the community and promoting the cultures, traditions and languages as a full part of the non-racial and democratic South Africa.

(Southside Chairperson, Mrs Sally Mudaly-Padaychie, with the former ICASA CEO, Pakamile Pongwane. The picture was taken when Southside met Mr Pongwane and his officials in Durban in March 2017) The Chairperson of Southside, Mrs Sally Mudaly-Padaychie, expressed her gratitude to the delegation “for meeting with ICASA and reinforcing the struggles for the long overdue frequency for Southside”. “On behalf of the Board of Southside I want to thank Dr Mickey Chetty, Mr Marie Ramaya-Pillay, Dr Murthi Sooboo and Mr Krish Naidoo for their presence and contribution in strengthening our delegation. This is greatly appreciated.” She added: “I also want to thank Mr Subry Govender, our secretary, for utilising his family holiday to pursue with this meeting with ICASA with such determination and passion. “I am glad to note that the meeting ended on a positive note. Our struggles will continue till we get the frequency to broadcast to all our people”, said Mrs Mudaly-Padaychie. – ends (subrygovender@gmail.com)