MINISTER YUNUS CARRIM SURPRISED THAT SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO NOT GRANTED FREQUENCY

MINISTER YUNUS CARRIM ASKS ICASA AND OTHER ROLE PLAYERS TO RESPOND TO SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO'S FREQUENCY REQUIREMENTS

We wish to report that we had to take up our struggles for a frequency in and around the Durban region to the Minister of Communications, Mr Yunus Carrim, in the third week of September 2013 after being frustrated by new negative developments. Sentech was supposed to have finalised the testing of a frequency in the Durban area after being instructed to do so by ICASA, following the meeting convened by the Chairperson of Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications, Mr Eric Kholwane, in Durban in April this year. At the April meeting all the role players, including Sentech, ICASA, and the SABC, gave a commitment that our frequency will be formalised within a matter of months. The chairperson of ICASA, Dr Stephen Ncube, even commented that he would like to be invited to attend our launch sometime in December. With this commitment, we had set about trying to finalise our premises - either at the Mt Edgecombe Mariammen Cultural Centre or at the ABH in Chatsworth - and also began the process of identifying talented presenters and other staff members. We even set the ball rolling to establish our live streaming and our own web page.

But after several further meetings with ICASA in Johannesburg and Sentech in Durban, we were informed by telephone by Mr Patrick Sikhosana of Sentech in Durban, that the SABC was reluctant to give them the necessary letter for them to conduct tests for the frequency for us. The reaction of the SABC was most unexpected, especially after one of its senior officials gave an undertaking that they would help to launch soonest. After being advised to take the matter to higher level, even to the highest office in the land, we had written a detailed letter to Minister Carrim on September 17 2103 for his attention. This is the letter we had penned to him: "SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO (NPO No: 089 - 426) 59 Musgrave Road, Durban P.O. Box 486 Verulam 4340 Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009 email: subrygovender@gmail.com September 17 2013 Mr Yunus Carrim Minister of Communications ------------------------------ Dear Minister Carrim We are writing to you in order to seek your intervention regarding our long struggles to obtain a frequency in the Durban area for the launch of our cultural/socia/progressive radio station, Southside FM Radio. The late Minister Roy Padaychie played an important role in helping us because he knew that our Board of Governors is made up of former struggle stalwarts and that we would play a progressive and developmental role in our new non-racial and democratic South Africa once we are granted a frequency. He was even a chief guest at our fund-raising dunner at the Merebank Tamil School Society(MTSS) in Durban in February 2012. Unfortunately, his untimely death robbed us of a comrade. His wife, Mrs Sally Padaychie, has continued with his work and is a member of our Board of Governors. President Jacob Zuma gave a promise to Mrs Padaychie after Minister Padyachie's death that all the late Minister's projects would be carried through and completed. With this support, we persevered with our efforts and continued our negotiations with the leaders and senior officials of ICASA about our frequency requirement. We even sought the assistance of Mr Eric Kholwane, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications, who made several trips to Durban to hold discussions with us about the problem we found ourselves in. In April this year, Mr Kholwane convened a meeting of all role players from ICASA, Sentech and the SABC to help us with our frequency requirement. At this meeting, the SABC CEO gave an undertaking that she would ensure we are assisted in us launching as soon as possible. The chairperson of Sentech, Dr Ncube, even told the meeting that he was looking forward to our launch at the end of this year and that he would be grateful to be invited to the launch. With this commitment from all sides, we informed our target market of the "good" news and began preparations to select our premises, build our studio and to recruit the necessary staff. We, however, could not carry out these tasks without the frequency.

But once again delays cropped up and we travelled to Johannesburg to hold talks with Mr Monde Mbanga and other officials of ICASA and also continued with our talks with Mr Patrick Sikhosana, Manager of Sentech in KZN. While we were at the offices of ICASA in Johannesburg, Mr Mbanga gave us an assurance that everything was on track and that they were just waiting for Sentech to finalise the testing in Durban. Mr Mbanga even telephoned Mr Sikhosana during our meeting in Johannesburg to finalise discussions with him about the frequency for Southside FM Radio. Mr Sikhosana gave an undertaking that they had carried out all the tests and were just waiting for a letter from the SABC to finalise the testing and for a report to be submitted to ICASA.

While we were awaiting our frequency confirmation, we entered into negotiations with the Premier of KZN, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who gave us his full support and even arranged for us to hold talks with his Director General in Pietermaritzburg. Mrs Sally Padaychie, along with the writer, was one of the officials who travlled to Pietermaritzburg to hold talks with the DG. The Premier's office gave us their full support and promised to assist us when we obtain our frequency. We even sought the assistance of the Department of Arts and Culture and held talks with the Director General early in September about Southside FM Radio and its role in the new South Africa. We reported this to Sentech and ICASA. We had also continued to seek the assistance of Mr Kholwane.

Only a week ago we held another meeting with Sentech in Durban and Mr Sikhosana once again re-iterated that he was waiting for the letter from the SABC but it seemed the SABC was not keen on providing Sentech with the letter. He, nevertheless, promised to take the matter up once again as he would be holding talks with his seniors at the end last week (September 13). At the same time he called on us to take up the matter once again with Mr Kholwane and other political leaders. At his request we we wrote another letter to Mr Sikohsana, asking him to help us in our struggles to obtain the frequency. I wrote to Mr Sikohasna on Monday, September 16 2013, checking with him whether he had some "good news" for Southside FM Radio. He telephoned the writer at about 10am the same and started of by saying: "Hi Comrade Subry. I am telephoning you because what I am going to say to you I did not think it would be adviseable to put in writing." He went on to say that it seemed "the SABC is retracting from its commitment given at the meeting with Mr Kholwane". "They don't want to co-operate with us for us to finalise the testing and for us to submit the report to ICASA." He suggested that Southside FM Radio should continue to take up the matter with Mr Kholwane, Minister Yunus Carrim and if need be even with President Zuma as he had given an assurance that "all of Mr Padaychie's projects would be fulfilled". We are now writing to you, Mr Minister, to kindly intervene and to ensure that Southside FM radio is assisted in getting off the ground. We are a progressive force and we cannot understand why we are being frustrated in our efforts to launch our radio. We have been struggling for the past four years to launch ever since some struggle stalwarts decided that our target market is an important sector of South Africa's population to be catered for and to become a full part of our new, non-racial and democratic South Africa. We would be grateful to hear from your goodself at your early convenience and would be grateful if you could grant us an audience to discuss our initiative with you. Thanks and kind regards. Subry Govender Secretary --------------------- Board of Governors: Mr Balan Gounder (chairperson), Ms Keresha Govender (treasurer), Mrs Sally Padaychie (widow of the late Minister Roy Padaychie), Ms Thirupuriesundrie Govender (asst secretary), Mr Logan Naidoo, Mr Swaminathan Gounden (former political activist), Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy chairperson), Mr Denis Naidoo(former activist) and Mr Subry Govender (secretary and former struggle journalist/activist)"

Mr Carrim, who is a former comrade of some of us in Southside's Board of Governors, personally telephoned the writer on two occasions and promised that he would refer the matter to the people concerned. Then on Friday, October 5 2013, Minister Carrim responded with the following letter: "Dear Subry SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO "It was nice to hear from you after some while, and to see that you are still very active in the media sector. From your emil of 17 September, it seems you had considerable negotiations on securing a licence for Southside FM rADIO, and it does seem surprising that it has not yet been granted. As you will appreciate, this is a matter that will have to be decided by ICASA and the SABC, and I am referring your correspondence to them to come back to you on a final decision as soon as possible. I am also referring your letter to all the other individuals you have contacted in this regard. I see that you have a very impressive range of activists, including veterans, on your board of governance and hope that you will be successful in securing the necessary licence. "I have also referred your letter to the Director-General, Rosey Sekese, to attend to the matter, and she will keep you abreast of developments. "I thank you for your attention and convey good wishes. "Yours sincerely "Yunus Carrim MP "Minister of Communications."

We are hoping that now that the Minister has intervened, the bosses at ICASA, Sentech and others would take the necessary measures to make available the frequency to us. We have been waiting for far too long and this delay is of concern to our target market, supporters, donors and sponsors. Southside FM Radio is a vital necessity for our target market, especially at a time when all South Africans face numerous social and economic difficulties. Southside FM Radio sees itself as a progressive force and we want to play a full role in not only promoting the cultures, languages, traditions and music of the people of south Indian-origin, but also to be a force to be reckoned with in promoting social cohesion and national consciousness among all people. It's for this reason that the Board of Governors of Southside have decided that one of the languages that will be taught when we go on air will be IsiZulu. After all the hard and relentless work that we have put in over the past four-and-half-years, it's of paramount importance that the powers that be grant us the frequency to start broadcast at the earliest possible time.