Monday, December 14, 2015
THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR: RECALL ZUMA OR FACE THE CO0NTINUED DEGENERATION OF OUR NEW NON-RACIAL AND DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
MRS ANANDHEE SASITHARAN INTRO: The violation of the human rights of the Tamil people in the North and East of Sri Lanka continues on a daily basis without any respite for the victims. One of the people with a first hand experience of this oppression and suppresion is Mrs Anandhee Sasitharan, 45, of Jaffna. Mrs Sasitharan's husband, Mr Ezhilanaru Sasitharan, is still missing after surrendering to the Sri Lankan army in 2009. One of her younger brothers, aged 19, also went missing in 2003 and a sister, who was politically active, was killed. She was one of the delegates who attended the two-day conference on peace and justice for Sri Lankan Tamils in Durban on November 6 and 7. The conference was organised by the South African-based Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice(SGPJ) with the full blessing of the South African Government. More than 30 stakeholders, representing a number of organisations in Sri Lanka and the Diaspora, attended the conference. I interviewed Mrs Sasitharan after she gave an emotional speech at the conference about her situation and thousands of others whose husbands and other family members had gone missing after surrendering to the Sri Lankan army at the end of the war in 2009. This report by Subry Govender in South Africa...... .
Monday, November 9, 2015
THE LIFE OF ENSLAVEMENT IN SRI LANKA SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A TAMIL VICTIM AND HER FAMILY
Sunday, November 8, 2015
SRI LANKAN TAMIL STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE ISLAND AND DIASPORA MEET IN DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
Monday, October 19, 2015
MEDIA STRUGGLES TO BRING ABOUT A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OCTOBER 19 1977
On October 19 2015, South Africans once again reflected on the state of the media in the new democratic South Africa by observing the 41st anniversary of the crack down on the media by the former apartheid regime on October 19, 1977. Marimuthu Subramoney, aka Subry Govender, recalls the struggles of the journalists during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s and warns that South Africans must guard against the new elite trying to smother the media through new measures in the name of the new and free South Africa.... .
OCTOBER 19 AND THE STRUGGLES OF JOURNALISTS IN THE 1970S, 1980S AND 1990s
(Veteran struggle journalists who gathered at the home of the late Zwelike in 2012)
One of our formidable struggle journalists during the 1970s and 1980s, Zwelakhe Sisulu, who died at the age of 61 on October 4 2012, was duly acknowledged for playing a crucial role in the struggles to bring about the new non-racial, free and democratic South Africa.
In this article, I want to go back to the days when Zwelakhe and a large number of journalists put their lives on the line to contribute to the liberation struggles.
Before I go into the meat of the topic, I want to submit that the suppression of the media during the apartheid era did not start when the white baaskap National Party came to political power in 1948. But it had its roots when the first newspapers were started by the colonial authorities in the early 1800s.
However, I am not going to go back in history but deal primarily with the period when the National Party introduced all kinds of laws to suppress, oppress, harrass and intimidate journalists - especially journalists of colour.
Being white, colonial and racial driven - the media during this period was mainly concerned with maintaining and retaining white domination of the social, economic and political fabric of South Africa.
MEDIA - COLONIAL MENTALITY
The whites owned, controlled, managed and edited nearly all the newspapers - with the exception of one or two minor and insignificant publications - and the National Party monopolised the airwaves in the name of the South African Broadcasting Corporation(SABC).
The National Party, which F W De Klerk unashamedly tried to sell to the people of Indian origin, coloured people and Africans in the early 1990s, had in their arsenal more than 100 statutes that limited the freedom of the Press. The repressive atmosphere really began after the Sharpeville uprisings on March 21 1960 when police shot dead peaceful marchers who were protesting against the carrying of the hateful Dom-Pass.
The National Party Government introduced a state of emergency and banned the ANC and the PAC and crushed all opposition to white minority rule.
Publications such as the New Age, Fighting Talk, Advance and Guardian were forced to close shop and the journalists working in these and other progressive newspapers either had to flee the country or go underground.
During this period of repression, some of the only black-oriented newspapers that were allowed to operate were the Drum magazine and the Golden City Post. Although they reported on some political developments, they were, however, no danger to the existence of the white state.
Being white-owned and managed, these newspapers concentrated on the sensational - sex, crime and gangs and sport - in order to survive. There were some journalists during this period in the 1980s who dared to question the white status quo - but they too were quickly intimidated and forced to flee the country or tone down.
(Journalists protesting against the banning of the UBJ and other organisations)
BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS
In the early 1970s - when the black consciousness movement took root after the establishment of the South African Students Organisation(SAS0) - a number of black journalists came to the fore - prepared to take on the white oppressors irrespective of the consquences. These journalists were primarily working at that time for newspapers such as the World and Weekend World, and socially-conscious journalists working for mainstream newspapers such as the former Rand Daily Mail, the East London Daily Dispatch, the Cape Times and Argus, the Johannesburg Star and the Durban Daily News.
They tried to introduce a new and dynamic approach to journalism by tackling the social, economic, sporting and political oppression of the black majority. The struggle for freedom of the Press and the liberty of the people had just started in ernest once again.
FRELIMO RALLY
But no sooner had black journalists - with a black consciousness background - began to tackle real and fundamental issues affecting the majority - the System struck back with vengeance in 1974 when the Frelimo rally was scheduled to be held at Durban's Currie's Fountain. The apartheid regime banned the rally and prohibited newspapers from publishing any news item that would amount to publicising the event.
This correspondent was at this time with the Daily News and assigned to cover the rally. This correspondent was not only detained and interrogated but my editor, Mr John O'Mally, was charged for publicising the event.
Another colleague, Joan Dobson, skipped the country and fled into exile because the apartheid regime suspected she was in league with the organisers of the rally. After the dawn of our new demcoracy in April 1994, she began reporting from Harare for the SABC's AM and PM live programmes at that time.
ROBBEN ISLAND
(The Daily News in Durban carrying a front page lead story about the banning of Zwelike Sisulu and Marimuthu Subramoney in December 1980)
As a matter of interest, black consciousness leaders like the late Strini Moodley, Saths Cooper, Aubrey Mokoape and others were charged under the infamous Terrorism Act and as a result of the rally were convicted and sentenced to Robben Island.
Further onslaughts against the media began after the 1976 Soweto uprisings when school children protested against the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in their schools.
Two months after the Soweto uprisings nine black journalists, who played a leading role in reporting events in Soweto, were detained under the regime's Internal Security Act, and two others were incarcerated under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act.
TERRORISM ACT
Among the very first to be arrested was Joe Thloloe, who was at that time working for the World Newspaper; Peter Magubane, South Africa's world-famous photo-journalist who worked at that time for the Rand Daily Mail and Miss Thenjiwe Mntintso, who worked at the Daily Dispatch in East London at that time.
(JOE THLOLOE, ONE OF THE DOYENS WHO WAS PERSECUTED, BANNED, JAILED, DETAINED AND HOUSE ARRESTED DURING THE DARKS DAYS OF APARTHEID)
UNION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS
The majority of them were held for about four months without being tried in a court of law. They were released at the end of December 1976 but some were re-arrested in 1977. Joe Thloloe was one of those re-arrested and he was held incommunicado for 547 days under Section of the Terrorism Act.
The others were Willie Bokala, a reporter for the banned World newspaper who was held in detention for more than a year; Jan Tugwana, a reporter for the then Rand Daily Mail who was also held in detention for more than a year under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act; Ms Juby Mayet, a doyen of black journalists who was held incommunicado under the Internal Security Act at the Fort Prison in Johannesburg; Isaac Moroe, the first president of the Writers Association of SA (WASA) in Bloemfontein; and Bularo Diphoto, a free-lance journalist in the town of Kroonstad who was also detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act.
Another journalist, Mr Moffat Zungu, who was a reporter for the World Newspaper, was an accused in the Pan African Congress (PAC) trial that took place in Bethal, near Johannesburg. He was first detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act.
The blackest day in the history of Press Freedom in so far as the black majority was concerned took place on October 19 1977 when the notorious Jimmy Kruger banned the only two newspapers respected among black people - the World and Weekend World.
Mr Kruger, who became infamous for describing Steve Biko's death two months earlier as - "It leaves me cold" - at the same time banned the Union of Black Journalists(UBJ) and 17 other organisations; the publication of the UBJ - AZIZTHULA; religious and student publications; locked up the editor and news editor of the World and Weekend World - the late Percy Qoboza and the late Aggrey Klaaste respectively; and banned for five years the Editor of the Daily Dispacth, the late Donald Woods.
The regime also confiscated all our stationery and equipment and seized our funds.
Six other journalists were also detained at this time - including Thenjiwe Mntintso, a former ambassador now based at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg; and Enoch Duma - who worked for the Star newspaper at that time. He fled into exile after being released after more than two years in detention. He returned to the country recently and is currently writing his autobiography and also involved in the academic field.
Almost every member of the UBJ was visited by the security police all over the country; their homes and offices raided and searched and interrogated. All the raids were carried out at the unearthly hours of 4am and 5am in the morning. I remember my mother knocking my door and saying in our Tamil mother tongue: "Some white people are here asking for you."
My rooms were searched and all literature relating to the UBJ were confiscated. They even confiscated a letter I had written to the late Prime Minister of India, Mrs Indira Gandhi. I don't know whether that letter reached Mrs Gandhi because India at that time was leading the international struggle against minority rule in South Africa.
After completing their raid, they took me to the Daily News in Field Street in Durban where they searched my desk.
When representations were made to Mr Kruger for the release of the detained journalists, he had the temerity to announce that the detentions were not meant to intimidate the Press and that his Government had good reasons to detain the journalists.
It was during this traumatic period that another publication of the UBJ, UBJ Bulletin, and all subsequent editions were banned. The UBJ Bulletin contained some revealing articles about the activities of the South African Police during the Soweto uprisings. Four UBJ officials - Juby Mayet, Joe Thloloe, Mike Nkadimeng and the late Mike Norton - were charged for producing an undesirable publication.
Inspite of world-wide condemnation of the banning, detention and harrassment of journalists, the state security police continued with their jack-boot tactics.
In Durban two Daily News journalists - Wiseman Khuzwayo and Quarish Patel - were detained without trial for more than three months.
( OFFICIALS AND MEMBERS OF THE UBJ DURING A MEETING AT THE WENTWORTH HOTEL IN THE LATE 1970S)
PROTESTS
MONA BADELA
On November 30 1977, the day white South Africa went to the polls to give John Vorster another mandate to continue to oppress the black majority, 29 black journalists, including the late Zwelakhe Sisulu and Ms Juby Mayet, staged a march in the centre of Johannesburg against the banning of the UBJ and the detention of journalists. They were detained for the night at the notorious John Vorster Police station and charged under the Riotous Assemblies Act and fined R50 each.
Some of our colleagues who found it impossible to continue to work in South Africa skipped the country under trying circumstances. They included Duma Ndhlovu, Nat Serache, Boy Matthews Nonyang and Wiseman Khuzwayo.
Those who remained - including Juby Mayet, Zwelakhe Sisulu, Mona Badela of Port Elizabeth, Philip Mthimkulu, Joe Thloloe, Charles Nqakula, Rashid Seria, this correspondent and many others - vowed to continue the struggle. We committed ourselves in the belief that there could be no Press freedom in South Africa as long as the society in which we lived was not free. But the regime was also determined to make life difficult for us.
In July 1978 when we scheduled to hold a gathering of former UBJ members in Port Elizabeth to chart our future course of action - the regime banned our gathering and prohibited us from travelling to the Easten Cape city. But being determined to take on the regime head-on, we quickly re-scheduled our meeting to be held in the town of Verulam, about 25km north of Durban. Unknown to us, the dreaded Security Police tapped our telephone conversations and had the Starlite Hotel in Verulam bugged. The Security Police were listening to the entire proceedings of our meeting and immediately decided that we were a bunch of "media terriorists" who should be taken out of society.
NEW APPROACH
At our meeting we decided to establish our own daily and weekly newspapers and a news agency because we were of the firm belief that the establishment media was not catering for the black majority. The white establishment media of that era, as you have already been informed, was aimed at protecting and promoting the privileges of the white minority.
But sadly we did not have the resources to embark on such ambitious projects. Nevertheless many of us who became frustrated with the establishment media began to make arrangements for the establishment of regional newspapers that would provide an alternative voice to the establishment media and the National Party-controlled SABC.
When the regime leaders realised that black journalists were not prepared to cow down and submit to their dictates, they intensfied their harrassment. In June 1980 when school children all over the country bocyotted classes against the unequal and inferior education system for black children, the security police once again targeted journalists. They detained many of us for lengthy periods, claiming that black journalists had been encouraging black children to boycott classes.
Zwelakhe Sisulu was during that period of repression detained for nearly two years.
In Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London and other centres - black journalists continued to work with the community in an attempt to establish alternative newspapers.
PRESS TRUST OF SOUTH AFRICA
In Durban, the Press Trust of South Africa Third World News Agency was established as one of the first moves to provide the outside world with accurate information about the situation in South Africa. The news agency was established to operate alongside the running of the alternative newspaper, Ukusa.
But just when the newspaper was set to start publishing with the blessing of the community, the state struck again and banned its Managing Editor - this correspondent; and also Zwelakhe Sisulu, Joe Thloloe, Philip Mthimkulu and Charles Nqakula in December 1980. This was a massive blow for the alternative media because all the journalists were fully involved in the various projects.
Some of the publications that they were involved in were UKUSA in Durban, Grassroots in Cape Town, Speak in Johannesburg and Umthonyana in Port Elizabeth. The South African Council of Churches also sponsored the publication of a newspaper called The Voice. Philip Mthimkulu and Juby Mayet worked for this newspaper before they were banned.
The journalists in question were put out of circulation for three years until the end of `1983 when their banning orders expired. But during their period of forced exile, the journalists did not remain idle - for instance the Press Trust of South Africa News Agency continued to operate under some trying conditions, intimidation and harrassment. All the banned journalists also kept in touch with one another and on one occasion two of us - Zwelakhe Sisulu and the writer - even met under secrecy in Johannesburg to discuss the establishment of alternative newspapers once our banning orders expired.
During this period Charles Nqakula skipped the country to join the ANC. Upon his return he served the new government in various positions, including Minister of Defence.
Between 1980 and 1983 - the Press Trust News Agency managed to supply news to the outside world about the struggles in South Africa. When our banning orders expired - most of us went straight back to our task of continuing to provide an alternative voice for the black majority. In Johannesburg - Zwelakhe Sisulu initiated the establishment of the New Nation newspaper with the assistance of the South African Catholic Bishops Conference; in Cape Town Rashid Seria initiated the establishment of the South Newspaper; and in other parts of the country many other progressive forces and journalists began to establish alternative publications. Student organisations and leaders also produced a variety of alternative publications.
In Durban we continued with the Press Trust News Agency and supplied on the spot and analytical reports to radio stations in the United States, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and at one time we even supplied information to the Tass News Agency, which was based in Zimbabwe after that country's independence in 1980. Some of the radio stations we supplied reports to included the BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Deutsche Welle or Voice of Germany, Radio France Internationale and the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corporation. In Durban some journalists also established the New African newspaper.
UNITED DEMOCRATIC FRONT
While we were determined to report the struggles for a free society - the apartheid regime was also determined to crush us.
It began another round of repression through P W Botha and in 1986 introduced some of the most repressive methods to suppress journalists. At this time the regime had introduced the tri-racial parliament for whites, coloured people and people of Indian origin; while the progressive forces established the United Democratic Front(UDF).
The UDF, together with the alternative media, the churches, trade unions and student organisations provided the regime with the biggest challenge - that the days of white minority rule are nearing an end.
Most of us - who were in the forefront of the alternative media - were under constant surveillance. For instance during the emergency regulations in 1986 and 1987 - every time there was a knock on our door - we lifted our heads to see if it was the Security Police. On one occasion more than 10 Security Policemen raided our office situated at that time in Protea House in West Street in Durban and confiscated a pile of documents.
On another occasion - our offices were mysteriously burgled and a computer, printer, computer discs, casettes, and even an automatic telephone were stolen. We reported the incident to the police and when one finger-print expert came to the office - we told him not to look too far for the thieves because the culprits would be either in the security police or national intelligence offices.
SECURITY POLICE HARRASSMENT
The period of sustained security police intimidation and harrassment we experienced was just an example of what the alternative media organisations and individuals encountered during that period.
All of us were also denied passports to travel overseas - the regime pontificated that we were "a danger to the security of the state" and, therefore, our movements had to be restricted. The New Nation and the Weekly Mail - two alternative newspapers in Johannesburg - were banned several times from 1986 to 1990.
The only time we were given respite was after the ANC, PAC, SACP and other organisations were unbanned early in 1990.
The sad demise of Zwelakhe Sisulu and struggle journalists, who contributed enormously to the dawn of our new our new South Africa, was yet another occasion for us to reflect on the contributions made by "struggle journalists".
STRUGGLE JOURNALISTS
And now on October 19 2015, 22 years into our new democratic South Africa we must ask ourselves whether we still face problems in the new democratic order. There's no doubt that certain moves currently by the ruling ANC to introduce some measures to control the media is a reminder that those we have put in power have now become a threat to the freedom of speech, freedom of information and the freedom of the Press that we fought and sacrficied for.
Personally I see no need for any law to protect any information - except for information that threatens the security of the state. But all other information are of interest and importance to the citizen. We need to know how state officials, politicians and others are ripping us off through bribery, corruption and state tenders.
NO ALTERNATIVE TO A FREE MEDIA
A country without a free media is not free at all and this must be communicated to the current people in political power.
Our first democratic president, Nelson Mandela, repeatedly told us how much he appreciated the work we had done for their freedom and how it was important that we continued to keep a check on the new politicians. He made it clear that the new politicians are answerable to the citizenry and not the other way round.
It seems our work is not finished. A La Continua - the struggle continues.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
TOP TAMIL LEADERS FROM SRI LANKA, INDIA AND THE DIASPORA INVITED TO ATTEND A CONFERENCE IN DURBAN ON THE FREEDOM OF TAMILS IN SRI LANKA
Thursday, September 17, 2015
OTTAWA RESIDENTS EMPHASISE THE RESIDENTIAL NATURE OF THEIR VILLAGE
OTTAWA RESIDENTS UP IN ARMS OVER DESTRUCTION OF ENVIRONMENT
"OTTAWA IS A RESIDENTIAL VILLAGE"
(Some of the residents who attended the meeting at the Ottawa Civic Hall on Thursday, Sept 10 2015)
By Subry Govender
The residents of Ottawa, near Verulam, on the North Coast have made urgent representations to the Ethekwini Municipality to help the community in protecting the area from degeneration and degradation.
The residents, led by the Ottawa Environmental Forum, have submiited a memorandum to the municipality about the degeneration of the area that has been allowed to take place over the past few years.
The residents have highlighted the destruction of the Ottawa River by unscrupulous truck owners who are dumping sand and rubbish into the river; the use of residential properties in Munn Road and Riverview Road for their prepesterous and illegal actions; the use of residential properties in Kissoon Road, Maharaj Road, Riverview Road and Munn Road for the parking of huge trucks; the dumping of sand, reclaiming of land and establishment of a livestock business near the Ottawa bridge; the use of an area at the entrance to School Road for anti-social activities; the alleged use of the Ottawa Community Hall by squatters; and the general litter and filth that has enveloped the main road and the other roads in the village.
A meeting was held with two municipal officials recently after the Ottawa Environment Forum submitted its complaints.
The municipal officials were appalled at the situation and promised to take appropriate actions and to work with the Forum to clean up the area.
Mr Atom Dilraj, an official of the Ottawa Environmental Forum, said the residents were deeply concerned about the general degeneration that has engulfed the village.
"We are particularly concerned at the uncontrolled filling of the river bank on both sides in the Ottawa section between R102 and the Ottawa Old Main Road.
"We cannot allow this historic village to be destroyed by the lack of concern for the environment. The municipality must take urgent steps to clean up the litter and filth by consulting with the residents," he said. ends - Subry Govender Sept 11 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
OTTAWA, NEAR VERULAM, IS A RESIDENTIAL VILLAGE – THIS IS THE CLEAR MESSAGE RELAYED TO THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO MUNICIPALITY FOLLOWING A MEETING THAT THE ETHEKWINI TOWN PLANNERS HELD WITH THE RESIDENTS ON THURSDAY, SEPT 10 2015
MEMORANDUM ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF OTTAWA IN RESPONSE TO THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY'S "OTTAWA FUNCTIONAL AREA PLAN AND SCHEME PROJECT"
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1. INTRODUCTION
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The small village of Ottawa, situated near Verulam, and surrounded by Phoenix, Waterloo and now Cornubia, has a rich heritage and history. The descendants of indentured labourers, who were brought to work on the sugar plantations of the then Natal Colony from India since the 1860s, settled in Ottawa and other areas such as Verulam, Tongaat, Stanger, in and around the city of Durban, and in several areas south of Durban, Umzinto, Port Shepstone, Pietermaritzburg and other areas of the Natal Colony.
The people who settled in Ottawa had initially worked on sugar estates in the Ottawa Sugar Estate, Blackburn Sugar, Mount Edgecombe Sugar Estate and other sugar estates in the vicinity.
Thereafter, many others, who were mainly market gardeners, railway workers, and others who worked in clothing factories and as waiters, also made Ottawa their home. They first lived in wood and iron houses and relied on the Ottawa River for their drinking water and water for other house-hold uses. The Ottawa River was in fact their "lifeblood".
The residents also relied on the railway line running from Ottawa to Mount Edgecombe for their coal requirements. Their mode of transport at that time was only the trains running to Verulam and Durban.
PROGRESS
----------------------
Life began to change for the residents since the early 1950s, when former South African tennis champion, Mr S S Maharaj, moved to Ottawa and opened his Flash Clothing factory. The factory was a life changer for poor people from Ottawa and surrounding areas. They now earned a livelihood as machinists and began to improve their lives.
At the same time the residents of Ottawa, with the leadership of Mr Maharaj, Mr Parthab, Mr S S Badlu, Mr Munoo Maharaj, Mr Singh (George Singh's father), Mr Latiff and others, built their own school, Jhugroo Government Aided School. The land was donated by the Jhugroo family.
With the clothing factory and the school, the residents began to improve the quality of lives of their children. This led to almost all the families transforming their wood and iron houses into neat and modern brick and tile homes.
The only businesses in the early days were three shops situated on the main road running through the town and the motor scrap dealer situated across the railway line near Ottawa House. There were no businesses in the residential area making up Ottawa.
After the construction of the new Jhugroo school, the residents also built the Ottawa hall, which is now owned by the municipality.
In addition, the residents have also built their own temples. The church in Munn Road and the Mosque on the main road are new developments that only took place after 1994. In the early days, Christian, Muslim and Hindu members of the community used to travel to Verulam and Mount Edgecombe to obtain their spiritual needs.
For the vast majority of residents, Ottawa was not only a place where they stayed but also a community who belonged to "one large family".
POST 1994
----------------------
After 1994, the residents continued to make progress in their lives and new people began to move in as well. They have made vast improvements to their properties.
But at the same time there have been some business people who used the new era to set up trucking, motor scrap yards and other businesses in areas where previously these were purely residential properties.
The main areas affected are Riverview and Munn roads, Maharaj Road, the back of Kissoon Road near the R102 and some properties at the top end of Ottawa.
In addition, there are a number of environmentally-dangerous businesses on properties, east of the main road along the railway line.
REPRESENTATIONS
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The Ottawa Environmental Forum, the Ottawa Civic Association, the Ottawa Crime Watch, other organisations and a number of individuals have taken up the issue of the degeneration and degradation now taking place with the municipality. But except for promises of action, virtually nothing has been done to bring the culprits, who are wreaking havoc on the environment, to book. No action has also been taken to move the businesses to an industrial area.
The Ottawa River, once a lifeblood of the community, has now been virtually destroyed through illegal dumping and lack of care.
The municipality has failed dismally to take action to protect the river.
PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
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As indicated and made very clear by residents during the meeting on Thursday, September 10 at the Ottawa Civic Hall, it must be emphasised that OTTAWA IS PRIMARILY A RESIDENTIAL AREA and future developmental plans should take this into account.
These are the main factors that must be taken into account:
* Ottawa is a rich historical village and the residential nature of the area should not be tampered with.
* Trucking companies, scrap yard dealers and other illegal businesses are destroying the environment, including the Ohlanga River and its streams. A number of truckers are dumping sand into the river and one businessman has even set up a poultry business on the river near the Ottawa bridge. The municipality is doing nothing to take action and move the businesses to an industrial area.
*Any future developmental plan should ensure that the environment is protected and the municipality should take steps to stop the degeneration and degradation of the area.
* The area is already congested and no cluster housing development should take place. Cluster housing is already taking place in neighbouring areas. The programme by the city council to build houses in every free standing area and public recreational facility in Phoenix is fast turning Phoenix into a slum.
OTTAWA SHOULD NOT FOLLOW THE PHOENIX PATH AND ALSO TURNED INTO A SLUM.
CONCLUSION
--------------------------
It's interesting to note that the Town Planning Department of the Ethekwini Municipality had organised the meeting with residents at a time when Durban was hosting the 14th World Forestry Congress at the ICC.
The Congress delegates, who are from all parts of the world, want to protect forests in their countries to, among other things, counter climatic change and promote the future of humanity.
The residents of Ottawa sincerely hope that as Durban and South Africa is concerned about preserving and protecting our forests, the environment and our heritage, that the Planning people in the city will spare a thought for the residents of Ottawa who have to put up with the degeneration and degradation of their village on a daily basis by unscrupulous business people and lack of action by the municipality.
It is up to the Town Planners to ensure that the environment in and around Ottawa is not only protected and promoted, but that the RESIDENTIAL NATURE OF THE VILLAGE IS NOT COMPROMISED IN ANY WAY.
It must also be noted that the Ethekwini Municipality has now embarked on a programme to "putting people first" - in other words the municipality will take into account the views, concerns and wishes of the ratepayers and taxpayers and will not impose undemocratic policies on the residents.
(Submitted by Subry Govender, Veteran Struggle Journalist who paid the price for the freedom we enjoy today.)
(subrygovender@gmail.com, 082 376 9053, No:3 Riverview Road, Ottawa)
Sunday, September 13, 2015
SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO WRITE TO PRESIDENT ABOUT THEIR STRUGGLES TO LAUNCH RADIO STATION
The officials of Southside FM Radio have now made representations to President Jacob Zuma about their struggles for an FM frequency over the past five-and-half-years.
On September 8 2015, Southside submitted the following letter and Memorandum to the President's office in Pretoria outling in full detail about the struggles to launch their radio station.
Southside has appealed to the President for an audience to discuss the way forward. Southside chairperson, Mrs Sally Padaychie, wife of the late Minister Roy Padaychie, will lead a delegation of leaders to meet the President.
LETTER OF SEPT 8 2015
---------------------------------------------
SOUTSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
59 Musgrave Road, Durban
Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
Sept 8 2015
His Honour
President Jacob Zuma
Presidency
Pretoria
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Dear Honourable President
It's with great humility and respect that we write to you about our struggles to obtain a frequency despite commitments and assurances by ICASA and Sentech about our requirements.
We have been struggling for a frequency over the past five-and-half-years ever since former struggle stalwarts and cultural leaders decided to launch a cultural radio station for South Africans who are of south Indian-origin.
Our radio station has been supported by prominent leaders and organisations, including the late former Minister of Communications, Mr Roy Padaychie; Mrs Sally Padaychie, who is now our chairperson; Mr Micky Chetty, immediate former president of the South African Tamil Federation who is now president of the International Organisation for the Promotion of Tamil; Mr Balan Gounden, president of the Merebank Tamil School Society in Durban; Mr Karthy Moothsamy, current chairperson of the SATF; Mr Logan Naidoo, prominent business leader and former chairperson of Sentech; Mr Vivian Reddy of the Edison Group; struggle stalwarts, Mr Swaminathan Gounden and Dr Dilly Naidoo; and veteran struggle journalist, Mr Subry Govender.
Despite struggling for the past five-and-half-years, we are still being denied a frequency and this is causing a great deal of frustration among our supporters and memnbers of our target audience. Everywhere we go, people are asking: "What is happening? Why have Southside not yet been granted a frequency? When are you going to launch our radio station?"
We have made regular and repeated representations to almost every level of authority and now have no option but to take up the issue with your honourable goodself.
We enclose a memorandum on our project and the struggles we have been engaged in, in order to obtain a frequency in terms of the values, policies and principles of our new democratic order.
Our chairperson, Mrs Sally Padaychie, and a delegation of the South Indian-origin community, would like an audience with his Honour, President Jacob Zuma, to discuss the way forward.
Please let us know when we could be accommodated.
Thanks and kind regards.
Subry Govender
Secretary
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Board of Governors: Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson), Mr Balan Gounden (deputy vice-chairperson), Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy vice-chairperson), Ms Kersah Govender (Treasurer), Mr Logan Naidoo, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Denis Naidoo (Deputy Treasurer), Mrs Thirupurisundrie Govender, Mr Sumeshen Moodley (Assistant Secretary) and Mr Subry Govender (Secretary)
MEMORANDUM SENT TO PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
=========================================
SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59 Musgrave Road, Durban
Tel: 031 - 568 1309/082 376 9053
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
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June 10 2015
MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED FOR A FREQUENCY
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INTRODUCTION
-----------------------------
The move for the establishment of a radio station for the descendants of indentured labourers was started in 2009 at a time when preparations were being made to commemmorate the arrival of our forefathers and mothers 155 years ago.
The main proponents were Mr Swaminathan Gounden, a former veteran political activist; Mr Balan Gounden, a cultural leader; and Mr Subry Govender, a veteran journalist and former political activist.
They spoke to a wide range of people and organisations about the establishment of such a station.
The unanimous response was: "It's long overdue."
Although we have provided full details in our application for a community radio licence and in numerous communications with ICASA, we wish to make the following submissions:
1). Southside FM Radio represents South Africans whose mother tongues are Tamil and Telugu.
2). We make up between 55 and 60 percent of the more than 1,4-million South Africans of Indian origin.
3). We are mainly descendants of indentured labourers who worked almost as slaves on the sugar plantations of then Natal Colony since the 1860s.
4). The leaders emanating from this community over the past 155 years have played very important roles in the social, educational, business, sporting and political struggles and development of South Africa.
Some of the leaders who have emerged from this community include:
Dr Monty Naicker, who worked with leaders of the calibre of Dr Albert Luthuli; Mr Billy Nair, who spent more than 20 years on Robben Island with leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu; political activists Swaminathan Gounden, R D Naidoo, Advocate M D Naidoo, Mrs Phyllis Naidoo; and Mr M N Pather, R K Naidoo and Mr Morgan Naidoo, who played leading roles in isolating apartheid sport and promoting the freedom struggles during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; Mr Ronnie Govender and Mr Subry Govender - journalists who played important roles in promoting the freedom struggles through their work; and the late Cabinet Minister, Mr Roy Padaychie, who died in early 2012.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
------------------------------------------
After having contributed to the liberation struggles, some of the leaders - including the late Mr Padaychie, Mr Balan Gounder, Mr Swaminathan Gounden and Mr Subry Govender, who retired from the SABC in 2009 after joining in 1995, got together and discussed what we should do to, not only to promote the rich cultures, languages and traditions of this community, but also to inculcate the values and principles of being full South Africans. One of these values is the promotion of the IsiZulu and other languages among this community.
At a meeting in October 2009, it was decided that we should establish a radio station in order to promote these values.
Southside FM Radio was thus initiated.
COMMITTEE
------------------------
A committee, under the chairpersonship of Mr Subry Govender, was elected at a meeting held at the David Landau Community Centre in Asherville, Durban, in October 2009.
Since the meeting, Mr Govender, Mr Gounder, Mr Gounden, Ms Keresha Govender(treasurer) and Mrs Thirupurasundrie Govender (secretary) got down to applying for a NPO registration number, a community radio licence and a frequency.
NPO
-----------
This was granted early in 2011 by the Department of Social Welfare.
The number is 089 - 426.
COMMUNITY RADIO LICENCE
------------------------------------------------------
After a great deal of communications with ICASA for nearly two years and after the submission of seven bounded documents, we were granted a five-year community radio licence by ICASA in September 2011. The late Minister Roy Padaychie played an important role in this regard.
CULTURAL EVENING
------------------------------------
In view of the tremendous interest shown by the community for the establishment of a radio station, we organised a cultural evening and fund-raising dinner at the MTSS in Merebank, Durban, on Saturday, February 25, 2012.
The function was a huge and phenomenal success with more than 500 supporters, donors and sponsors supporting the scheduled launch of the radio station.
Nearly R1-million was pledged on the evening for the radio station.
The late former Minister of Communications, Mr Roy Padaychie, was the main guest speaker at the function.
FREQUENCY
-----------------------
In our communications with ICASA and Sentech, we have repeatedly and regularly pointed out in writing that our primary and main target market is situated:
* in and around the city of Durban - Chatsworth, Phoenix, and Pinetown.
* the North Coast - Verulam, Tongaat, Stanger, Richards Bay.
* the South Coast - Port Shepstone, Umzinto, Umkomaas, Amanzimtoti.
* Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Dundee and Newcastle.
* Johannesburg - Midrand and Randburg/Fourways/Bryanstan/Lenasia.
* Pretoria - Laudium/Benoni
* Cape Town, and
* Port Elizabeth-East London.
We made it clear that initially we wanted to start broadcasting to the primary target area of Durban and then extend to the other regions.
Prior to the granting of the community radio licence in September 2011, we had been given a number of co-ordinates by ICASA and SENTECH. Two frequencies allocated but not confirmed were 94.4 and 93.6 MHz.
But at every turn we were told that the frequencies were clashing with one another or that they were in use by other radio stations.
We found that at least two frequencies used by community radio stations that had operated from Durban had not been broadcasting for more than two years. One of the community radio stations has since started to operate again through the assistance of the authorities.
We have repeatedly pointed out that our main and initial target market is situated in the Durban area, north coast, south coast and the Pietermaritzburg region. But unfortunately we have been told that Durban area is congested and that there are no frequencies.
Instead we were told to apply for frequencies in the Pietermaritzburg area, Newcastle-Ladysmith, and Port Shepstone.
Subsequently we were told that Pietermaritzburg was not feasible and was only granted a frequency in the Port Shepstone area from Port Edward to Umkomaas. (But now we have been told that the area of Pietermaritzburg will also be granted to us.)
After we received the Port Shepstone frequency we consulted with our supporters and donors. We found that most people felt that our main target market is in and around Durban, north coast, south coast and Pietermaritzburg and it would not be financially feasible to broadcast only in the Port Shepstone region.
Our committee felt that we must point this out to ICASA and this was done when we held a meeting with ICASA in Johannesburg on June 19 2012.
We believe that:
1. It will not be financial feasible to broadcast only in the Port Shepstone area because most of our target market is in the Durban area and in the Johannesburg-Pretoria region.
2. ICASA must find a solution for us because our supporters and donors are looking forward to the launch of our radio station as soon as possible.
MEETING WITH ICASA
----------------------------------------
In view of the problems encountered in obtaining a frequency we held a meeting with two ICASA officials in Johannesburg on June 25 2012 Our delegation was made up of Mr Subry Govender(Secretary); Ms Poomanie Naidoo, chairperson of the South African Tamil Federation; Mr Micky Chetty, former chairperson of the SATF and current chairperson of the International Organisation for the Promotion of Tamil; Mr T Chetty, Public Relations Officer of the SATF and Mr Savesh Pather, an MK veteran.
We gave the ICASA officials a detailed account of Southside FM Radio and repeated most of the information we had supplied in our application for a community radio licence.
After listening to our presentations, the two officials asked us to provide them with details of the premises in Durban, together with the co-ordinates, from where we would broadcast from.
They told the Southside delegation that once this was done they would select the premises with the maximum coverage and provide us with the frequency.
As soon as we returned to Durban, we submitted details of seven premises together with the co-ordinates to ICASA. We completed the application forms with the assistance of Sentech.
Towards the end of July, one of the officials telephoned Mr Subry Govender and informed him that they might have some "good news" for us. He said they had identified a frequency and he would inform us soon of the latest development.
The official, at the request of Mr Govender, submitted this information to Southside. He pointed out that he still had to clear this with Sentech.
A few days later the ICASA official came back to Mr Govender to inform him through another letter that the frequency, 103.4 MHz, would clash with another radio station in Eshowe and, therefore, for the time being there was no frequency for us.
We wrote back to ICASA informing the communications agency that we were deeply disappointed and wanted to know what has happened to information we had supplied about the premises where we had hoped to broadcast from.
We also requested a response from ICASA as to what more must we do to be granted a frequency. We also requested another meeting with ICASA to discuss the situation.
ICASA has now informed us that in addition to the PS and Pietermaritzburg FM frequencies, they have two MW frequencies on offer for us. However, according to Sentech in their 2011 Annual Report "The usage of the medium wave platform is on the decline."
The report went on to state: "The current market trend is for customers to migrate their services to the FM service platform and the product is likely to experience further customer churn in the forthcoming financial period. Sentech's current strategy is not to invest in upgrading this platform but rather to assist customers to migrate to FM where possible.
"Sentech will continue to maintain and operate the platform efficiently for the forseeable future to ensure that services are available to those customers who require services on this platform."
COMMUNICATION WITH THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PPC ON ARTS AND CULTURE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In October 2012 we sent the following letter to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture in an attempt to get some assistance:
"SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
P.O. Box 486 Verulam 4340
Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
October 29 2012
Ms Thandile Babalwa Sunduza
Chairperson
Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture
Parliament
Cape Town
Dear Madam
I am writing this letter to you at the request of the Management Committee of Southside FM Radio and one of our major donors, Mr Logan Naidoo, the former chairperson of Sentech.
We are a cultural radio station that was started in 2009 by a group of former political activists and cultural leaders who wanted to promote the cultures, traditions, and music for South Africans whose mother tongues are Tamil and Telugu via a radio station. The radio station was proposed also to teach IsiZulu to its target audience.
One of the main initiators is former struggle journalist and political correspondent, Subry Govender.
Since our establishment we have been able to register ourselves as an NPO, obtain a five-year Class Community Radio licence and also receive the support of the community in general and some of the leaders such as the late Cabinet Minister, Mr Roy Padaychie; Mrs Sally Padaychie; Mr Logan Naidoo; Mr Vivian Reddy of Edison Corp; Mr Santha Naidoo, a prominent Durban hotelier; Mr Rajen Pillay, a prominent Stock Exchange broker; Mr Singaran Nadarajan, a prominent Durban businessman; and former political activist, Dr Dilly Naidoo.
Although we received our licence from ICASA in August 2011, we have been struggling to obtain a frequency in our main target market area of Durban and surrounding areas. The untimely passing of Minister Padaychie has also caused problems in us obtaining a frequency in the Durban area.
Since his passing, we have taken up the issue through the persistence of Mr Logan Naidoo with several role players but have not yet been given a frequency in our main target area of Durban and surrounding areas. Instead, we have been allocated frequencies in the Pietermaritzburg and Port Shepstone areas. We informed ICASA that we will utilise these frequencies once we are granted a frequency in Durban and surrounding areas. We also informed ICASA that our target market area also includes the Johannesburg-Pretoria region; Cape Town; Port Elizabeth-East London; and areas such as Newcastle, Ladysmith, Dundee and the KZN North and South coasts.
We have now reached a stage where our target market people are asking us on a daily basis when are we going to launch our radio station.
We enclose a Memorandum which would give you full details of our project.
We would be grateful if you can afford us an audience so that we could bring to your attention the urgency of our project.
Please confirm the receipt of this letter and attached Memorandum.
Thanking you and kind regards.
Subry Govender
Secretary
---------------------------------
Management Committee: Mr Balan Gounder (chairman), Ms Thiru Govender (asst secretary), Ms Keresha Govender (treasurer), Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr R P Govender, Mr Richard Naidoo, Mr Deven Moodley, Mr Dennis Naidoo, Mr Sumeshen Moodley, Mr Sagie Moodley, Ms T. Sanasy, Mr Senthil Narsigan, Mr Ugen Nadasen, Mr Morgan Nadasen and Mr Bala Naidoo."
FORMER CHAIRPERSON OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After our negotiations for a frequency with ICASA failed to reach any positive results, we had no alternative but to take up our struggles with the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications at that time, Mr Eric Kholwane.
Mr Kholwane was very supportive and arranged two meetings in Durban in 2013 when the issue of a frequency was taken up very seriously.
The second meeting meeting on Friday, April 26 2013 was attended by all the main role players and definite arrangements were made for us to be granted a frequency.
For the record, the following senior officials were present:
1. Mr S E Kholwane, Chairperson Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications.
2. Dr Stephen Ncube, Chairperson of ICASA.
3. Dr Setuma Mohapi, CEO of Sentech.
4. Mr Patrick Sikhosana, KZN Manager, Sentech.
5. Mr Nkopane Maphiri, MDDA.
6. An official of the Department of Comunications, and
7. Ms Lulama Makhobo, CEO of SABC.
The officials present from Southside included:
1. Mr Balan Gounder (Chairperson)
2. Mr Subry Govender (Secretary)
3. Ms Keresha Govender (Treasurer)
4. Mr Swaminathan Gounden
5. Mr Logan Naidoo
6. Mr Denis Naidoo
7. Mr Richard Naidoo (Deputy Chairperson).
Mrs Sally Padaychie, wife of the late Minister Roy Padaychie who is now our Chairperson, expressed her apologies for not being able to attend.
After the introductions and the main factors made by Mr Kholwane and Mr Balan Gounder about our need for a FM frequency in and around the Durban area, the following points emerged:
1. Dr Mohapi, CEO of Sentech, gave an outline of the frequency that would be made available to us with the assistance of the SABC.
Dr Mohapi committed himself and gave an assurance that such a frequency would be made available within the shortest time possible, most likely within a month.
2. Ms Makhobo, CEO of SABC, also made a commitment that she would work with Dr Mohapi in providing us with the necessary frequency.
3. Dr Ncube, Chairperson of ICASA, also pledged his full support in the granting of the frequency and requested that he be invited to attend the official launch of Southside.
4. The chairperson, Mr Kholwane, observed that this frequency must be ironed out within the shortest time possible.
After Mr Kholwane made the final remarks about the frequency, he called upon the officials of the MDDA and the Department of Communications to assist us to get off the ground as per their mandates. The officials in question promised to look at our applications and they gave Southside their contact details.
Finally, Mr Kholwane broached the subject of sharing the airtime with the SABC's Lotus FM Radio. The manager present indicated that they were prepared to meet Southside within the next two weeks.
The meeting ended very successfully on the undertaking that finally Southside would be granted a frequency and all the officials would be invited to our launch.
In a letter of gratitude to Mr Kholwane, we quoted our great freedom icon, Dr Nelson Mandela, about the struggles. This is what we quoted:
"The greatest glory in living, lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
NEGOTIATIONS WITH MINISTER YUNUS CARRIM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following our fruitful negotiations with Mr Kholwane, we found that once he had left office, ICASA once again dilly dallied about our frequency.
Once again we had no alternative but to take up the issue at a higher level. This time we held talks with Minister Yunus Carrim at a specially-arranged meeting in Durban on January 18 2014.
At this meeting, Mr Carrim promised to ensure that we are granted our frequency and requested some details about our negotiations. We submitted the following letter to the former Minisrter Carrim, who is now Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance:
"January 18 2014
Mr Yunus Carrim
Minister of Communications
Pretoria
Dear Minister Carrim
We, the officials of Southside FM Radio, want to thank you very sincerely for agreeing to meet us today (Jan 18 2014) at the Coastlands Hotel in Umhlanga to discuss the resolution of our urgent need for a frequency that has been dragging on for five years.
We understand that you are a very busy Minister and we want to say how grateful we are that you had set aside some of your precious time to meet us.
We appreciate your inputs and eagerly await your letter you said you would send on January 27 2014.
We had decided to take up the issue directly with you because we believe that there needs to be urgent intervention to assist us in our long and arduous struggle to launch our radio station.
As requested by you, we wish to state that we were FIRST offered the FM frequency, 93.6, in January 2011 by ICASA but this was subsequently obstructed by Sentech, who claimed that this frequency would cause interference to other radio stations.
Then after meeting with Mr Monde Mbanga, Manager: Broadcasting Spectrum Engineering and Technology, of ICASA and another official in Johannesburg on June 21 2012, we were asked to supply ICASA with the co-ordinates of the four premises where we would broadcast from in Durban. We supplied the co-ordinates of the premises in Mount Edgecombe, Merebank, Chatsworth and Briardene on July 6 2012 but to date we have heard nothing about the frequency being granted to broadcast from any one of these premises.
Then after the meetings initiated by Mr Eric Kholwane, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Communications, we received the following letter from Mr Mbanga on May 27 2013:
"On 5/27/13, Monde Mbanga wrote:
Dear Subry,
As highlighted in my previous email, there is good progress on this matter.
The following has been achieved thus far:
1. Sentech has submitted a proposed solution
2. ICASA confirmed the solution's feasibility and viability
3. Now ,Sentech is engaging SABC on the Logistics of the testing and
implementation of the proposed solution
4. I'll advise you of the development after my second meeting with Sentech
where the implementation and the timelines of this solution for Southside FM
will be finalised.
5. Your patience will be highly appreciated
6. Please refrain from including chairperson's in our operational
discussions, there is enough progress and no constraints that require their
intervention at this stage.
Regards
Monde Mbanga"
But despite all the assurances from all sides, we were forced to take up the matter directly with you in late 2013.
In our letter on September 17 2013 to you, we gave you a detailed account of our struggles and expressed the view that we cannot understand why, we as a progressive cultural radio station, are being frustrated in our efforts.
We are fully committed to the ideals and values of our new nonracial and democratic South Africa and want to play a full role in this regard via our radio station.
Since submitting the letter to you, we have received a very positive response from you and you directed us to negotiate with senior officials in your department.
In this regard, we have been in constant touch with your Chief of
Staff, Ms Siphokazi Shoba. Ms Shoba has been very helpful and on October 23 2013, she relayed to us the steps that were being taken to help us with our frequency.
She passed on to us a letter that was sent to her. This is what the letter stated:
"Dear Mr Govender
Below please see below report from ICASA.
I will check with my colleague Jabu Radebe w.r.t the turnaround time of the process mentioned in the below e-mail.
Sincerely,
Siphokazi
.................................................................................
On 2013/10/23 5:13 PM, "Philemon Molefe" wrote:
Colleagues,
There was a meeting held at SABC on Monday to resolve the issue.
The meeting was with the Acting COO of SABC, Sentech, DoC and ICASA.
The meeting was held at the request of the PPCC Chairperson. The purpose of the meeting was for SABC to give Sentech a go ahead with the testing of the feasibility of releasing a frequency in Durban for use by Southside FM.
Summary of outcome of the meeting is as follows:
1. SABC has agreed to allow Sentech to conduct the Tests as initially agreed at the meeting in Durban.
2. SABC to apply to ICASA by end of this week for a temporary trial spectrum Licence so as to allow Sentech to commence with the tests.
3. ICASA to process the SABC application upon receipt thereof and ultimately issue a Licence.
4. Sentech to commence the tests once temporary Licence has been issued to SABC.
5. SABC recommended Lynn Mansfield to be part of the tests.
6. The steps that follow thereafter will be as per the meeting held in Durban between SABC, Sentech, ICASA, DoC , Southside FM and PPCC chairperson.
Siphokazi,
DoC was represented by Jabu in the meeting held on Monday. For any further information, I believe he can fill any gaps or provide info that I might have left out.
The process is currently at step 2 above. [SABC still to apply for
temp trial licence]. However, there is progress in the sense that they have agreed to take the process forward].
Hope you find the above helpful.
Kind regards
Sent from my iPad
............................................................................
On 23 Oct 2013, at 12:52 PM, "Unathi Bangani" UBangani@icasa.org.za
wrote:
Dear Sipho,
As far as I understand, negotiations are still underway to assist them.
The matter is very complex but from the email below it does not seem like ICASA is the stumbling block here. I have copied my colleague, Phil Molefe who has been dealing with the issue at hand so that he can advise from our side what is the status update.
Regards,
Unathi"
After we received this letter, we continued to maintain constant
contact with Ms Shoba about the latest developments and progress, if any.
We were to have met you on December 10 last year but due to the demise of our beloved Madiba, we were unable to do so. You had postponed all your arrangements until mid-January this year.
In the meanwhile, we contacted the regional manager of Sentech in Durban and wanted to know whether he had conducted the field tests for the frequency.
On January 17, he sent me the following letter:
"Good morning Subry;
Compliments of the new season to you and your family;
You can recall that on the 26th of April 2013 we had a meeting at
Elangeni hotel in Durban where this issue was discussed. During that meeting Sentech agreed to conduct desktop analysis on the feasibility of increasing the transmitter power of R2000 at Alverstone from 3000W to 5000W; the idea was to increase the power so that those areas that are receiving R2000 from Bluff transmitter could get an alternative signal from Alverstone if the Bluff frequency is switched off or allocated to Southside FM.
Secondly it was resolved that if the desktop analysis become
successful then ICASA and SABC will allow Sentech to do the field test by switching off Bluff transmitter for a period of a week or two.
Sentech completed the desktop successfully as this was communicated to you and the team.
I have not been personally involved in subsequent meetings so it will be unfair for me to state what happened there after.
I can say that SABC, ICASA and Sentech must agree on the way forward before we at Operations do anything; we get instruction from Head office.
I would like to suggest that you take this matter to those who have powers to make a final decision on the matter.
Good luck and kind regards;
Patrick "
Mr Minister we have put in a lot of work over the past
four-and-half-years in order to get our progressive radio station off the ground. We have been made to believe since the beginning by ICASA and Sentech that there were no problems in granting us a frequency.
We cannot understand why - in this day and age of modern technology - that we are being frustrated.
The new non-racial and democratic South Africa has made provision for almost all cultural groups to be catered for in so far as radio stations are concerned - but we - who make up an important part of South Africa's population - are being frustrated in our attempts.
We want to play not only a progressive role in the new South Africa but we also want play a developmental role in promoting the ideals, values, and principles for which leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusuf Dadoo had sacrificed and died for.
When we launch we would have on our programme the teaching of isiZulu to our target market so that social cohesion - which is an important part of our new South Africa - is taken seriously.
We have reached a stage where we have put on hold the construction of our studio and recruitment of our staff members until we are granted our frequency.
What we are experiencing is very painful and causing frustration among members of our target market.
We cannot allow this state of affairs in our new non-racial and
democratic South Africa. "
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICARTIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Minister Carrim asked his officials in his department, especially Mr Freddy Maruremi and Ms Shoba, to help us with our frequency requirements.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY
----------------------------------------------------
While negotiating with Mr Carrim and his officials, we at the same time, made contact with the Office of the Presidency about our concerns. We have been keeping Ms Lakela Kaunda, Chief Director, and another official, Zandile Mavundla, informed on a regular basis about our painful efforts to obtain a frequency.
We also took up the matter with Dr Zweli Mkhize, who was the former Premier of KwaZulu-Natal. Even after moving into another office, we kept Dr Mkhize up to date about our struggles. Dr Mkhize continues to support the establishment of our radio station.
MINISTER FAITH MUTHAMBI
-----------------------------------------------------
After Minister Muthambi took office after the elections in May 2014, our chairperson, Mrs Sally Padyachie, held talks with the Minister and her Deputy Director General, Mr Norman Divhuhu, in Pretoria. The Minister gave an assurance that the matter would be sorted out soon.
She told Mrs Padaychie: "Mr Norman Divhuhu would make arrangements for Southside to be given a frequency soon."
Mr Divhuhu even telephoned this writer, Subry Govender, and gave the following undertaking:
"For the sake of Mr Roy Padaychie I will do everything to ensure that Southside is granted a frequency."
PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After our meetings with the officials from the Department of Communications, ICASA and Sentech in June 2015 and August 2015, we submitted the following letters to the Chairperson of the PPCC, requesting a meeting to try to resolve the problems surrounding our representations for an FM frequency in Durban.
1. "SOUTSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
59 Musgrave Road, Durban
Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
June 10 2015
Ms Joyce Clementine Moloi-Moropa
Chairperson
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications
Cape Town
-----------------------
Dear Honourable Chairperson
It's with great humility and respect that we write to you about our struggles to obtain a frequency despite commitments and assurances by ICASA and Sentech about our requirements.
We have been struggling for a frequency over the past five-and-half-years ever since former struggle stalwarts and cultural leaders decided to launch a cultural radio station for South Africans who are of south Indian-origin.
Our radio station has been supported by prominent leaders and organisations, including the late former Minister of Communications, Mr Roy Padaychie; Mrs Sally Padaychie, who is now our chairperson; Mr Micky Chetty, immediate former president of the South African Tamil Federation who is now president of the International Organisation for the Promotion of Tamil; Mr Balan Gounden, president of the Merebank Tamil School Society in Durban; Mr Karthy Moothsamy, current chairperson of the SATF; Mr Logan Naidoo, prominent business leader and former chairperson of Sentech; struggle stalwarts, Mr Swaminathan Gounden and Dr Dilly Naidoo; and veteran journalist, Mr Subry Govender.
Despite struggling for the past five-and-half-years, we are still being denied a frequency and this is causing a great deal of frustration among our supporters and memnbers of our target audience. Everywhere we go, people are asking: "What is happening? Why have Southside not yet been granted a frequency? When are you going to launch our radio station?"
We have made regular and repeated representations to almost every level of authority and now have no option but to take up the issue once again with your honourable goodself.
We enclose a memorandum on our project and the struggles we have been engaged in, in order to obtain a frequency in terms of the values, policies and principles of our new democratic order.
Our chairperson, Mrs Sally Padaychie, and two other senior officials have been authorised by our Board of Governors to travel to Cape Town to make representations directly to the Portfolio Committee on Communications.
Please let us know when we could make the representations directly to you and the committee in Cape Town.
Thanks and kind regards.
Subry Govender
Secretary
----------------------------------
Board of Governors: Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson), Mr Balan Gounden (deputy vice-chairperson), Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy vice-chairperson), Ms Kersah Govender (Treasurer), Mr Logan Naidoo, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Denis Naidoo (Deputy Treasurer), Mrs Thirupurisundrie Govender, Mr Sumeshen Moodley (Assistant Secretary) and Mr Subry Govender (Secretary)"
2. "SOUTSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
59 Musgrave Road, Durban
Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
July 16 2015
Ms Joyce Clementine Moloi-Moropa
Chairperson
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications
Cape Town
-----------------------
Dear Honourable Chairperson
We refer to our letter of June 10 2015 and the Memorandum we submitted to you regarding the struggles over the past five-and-half-years to obtain an FM frequency.
We wish to advise now that a senior Policy official of the Department of Communications, Mr Collin Mashile, and Mr Phil Molefe, Senior Manager, Engineering and Technology at ICASA, held talks with us in Durban on Tuesday, July 14 2015 to inform us about the solution for Southside to start broadcasting. They arrived from Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively for the meeting and were joined by Mr Nsizwa Gumede, the ICASA KZN Manager.
Southside was represented by Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson and widow of the late Minister Roy Padaychie), Mr Logan Naidoo, ( executive official and former chairperson of Sentech), Mr Balan Gounder (deputy chairperson), Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy chairperson), Ms Keresha Govender (treasurer) and the writer, Subry Govender (secretary).
Both Mr Mashile and Mr Molefe emphasised that they fully understood Southside's disillusionment and disenchantment over the failure not to be granted an FM frequency.
They pointed out that in view of the lack of an available FM frequency in the Durban area and because the SABC has turned down a study report for the sharing of Radio 2 000 frequency in the Durban area with Southside, Southside should consider the following:
i). Start broadcasting via Medium Wave;
ii). Utilise the FM frequencies available in the Pietermaritzburg and District and the Port Shepstone and District areas.
iii). Utilising DSTV radio distrubution to go national.
Southside FM Radio records the visit of the representatives of the Department of Communicationn and ICASA and note that the ONLY proposal tabled was that which was rejected two-and- half-years ago on the basis that it was :
i). too expensive for a non-profit community radio station;
and
ii). the ‘ Medium Wave ‘ frequency is not an easily accessible modality.
We have already contacted Sentech and an official has informed us that Medium Wave was not feasible.
We would like to humbly bring to the attention of the Chairperson that Southside represents nearly 60 percent of South Africans of Indian-origin who are concentrated in KZN; Johannesburg-Pretoria region; Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
We want to submit that all other communities have been allocated the FM band and its discriminatory to provide Southside with an undesirable and more expensive option to service its needs. The meeting was a major step backward and we will not allow the DOC to "close the door " on this matter in this manner .
We are the only cultural community at the moment without a radio station to promote its cultures, traditions, music, and languages.
We strongly believe that we are being marginalised in this regard and we look forward to the intervention of the PPCC to provide us with a viable option on equal terms as that which was made available to the other communities.
We would like to request a meeting with your goodself so that we could inform you directly of our struggles to obtain a frequency and to launch our radio station. Our chairperson, Mrs Sally Padaychie, and another two officials have been mandated to travel to Cape Town to meet with your goodself.
Hoping to hear from your goodself at your earliest convenience.
Thanks and kind regards.
Subry Govender
Secretary
----------------------------------
Board of Governors: Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson), Mr Balan Gounden (deputy vice-chairperson), Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy vice-chairperson), Ms Kersah Govender (Treasurer), Mr Logan Naidoo, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Denis Naidoo (deputy treasurer), Mrs Thirupurisundrie Govender, Mr Sumeshen Moodley (assistant secretary) and Mr Subry Govender (secretary)"
3. "SOUTSIDE FM RADIO
(NPO No: 089 - 426)
59 Musgrave Road, Durban
Tel: 082 376 9053/ 031 - 568 13009
email: subrygovender@gmail.com
August 25 2015
Ms Joyce Clementine Moloi-Moropa
Chairperson
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications
Cape Town
-----------------------
Dear Honourable Chairperson
We refer to our letters of June 10 2015 and July 16 2015 and the Memorandum we submitted to you regarding the struggles over the past five-and-half-years to obtain an FM frequency.
We wish to advise now that a senior Policy official of the Department of Communications, Mr Collin Mashile, and Mr Phil Molefe, Senior Manager, Engineering and Technology at ICASA, held talks with us in Durban on Tuesday, July 14 2015 to inform us about the solution for Southside to start broadcasting. They arrived from Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively for the meeting and were joined by Mr Nsizwa Gumede, the ICASA KZN Manager.
Southside was represented by Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson and widow of the late Minister Roy Padaychie), Mr Logan Naidoo, ( executive official and former chairperson of Sentech), Mr Balan Gounder (deputy chairperson), Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy chairperson), Ms Keresha Govender (treasurer) and the writer, Subry Govender (secretary).
Both Mr Mashile and Mr Molefe emphasised that they fully understood Southside's disillusionment and disenchantment over the failure not to be granted an FM frequency.
They pointed out that in view of the lack of an available FM frequency in the Durban area and because the SABC has turned down a study report for the sharing of Radio 2 000 frequency in the Durban area with Southside, Southside should consider the following:
i). Start broadcasting via Medium Wave;
ii). Utilise the FM frequencies available in the Pietermaritzburg and District and the Port Shepstone and District areas.
iii). Utilising DSTV radio distrubution to go national.
Southside FM Radio records the visit of the representatives of the Department of Communicationn and ICASA and note that the ONLY proposal tabled was that which was rejected two-and- half-years ago on the basis that it was :
i). too expensive for a non-profit community radio station;
and
ii). the ‘ Medium Wave ‘ frequency is not an easily accessible modality.
Following the meeting with the DOC and ICASA officials, we subsequently held a meeting with Sentech at their offices in Duirban North on Wednesday, July 22 2015. Sentech officials, Mr Naren Dhunpath and Mr Joseph Claasen informed us at the meeting that Medium Wave was not only too costly but was also not feasible.
We would like to humbly bring to the attention of the Chairperson that Southside represents nearly 60 percent of South Africans of Indian-origin who are concentrated in KZN; Johannesburg-Pretoria region; Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
We want to submit that all other communities have been allocated the FM band and its discriminatory to provide Southside with an undesirable and more expensive option to service its needs. The meetings with DOC, ICASA and Sentech have been major steps backward and we will not allow the DOC to "close the door " on this matter in this manner .
We are the only cultural community at the moment without a radio station to promote its cultures, traditions, music, and languages.
We strongly believe that we are being marginalised in this regard and we look forward to the intervention of the PPCC to provide us with a viable option on equal terms as that which was made available to the other communities.
We would like to request a meeting with your goodself so that we could inform you directly of our struggles to obtain a frequency and to launch our radio station. Our chairperson, Mrs Sally Padaychie, and another two officials have been mandated to travel to Cape Town to meet with your goodself.
Hoping to hear from your goodself at your earliest convenience.
Thanks and kind regards.
Subry Govender
Secretary
----------------------------------
Board of Governors: Mrs Sally Padaychie (chairperson), Mr Balan Gounden (deputy vice-chairperson), Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy vice-chairperson), Ms Kersah Govender (Treasurer), Mr Logan Naidoo, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Denis Naidoo (deputy treasurer), Mrs Thirupurisundrie Govender, Mr Sumeshen Moodley (assistant secretary) and Mr Subry Govender (secretary)"
LETTER TO DR ZWELI MKHIZE BY MR DEVA POONUSAMI
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After our representations to the PPCC, we submitted a developmental report to all our supporters, funders and members about our frustrations at not being granted a frequency.
One of our strongest supporters, Mr Deva Poonusami, who is now based in London, wrote the following letter to Dr Zweli Mkhize, Treasurer General of the ANC, on September 1 2015:
"Deva Ponnoosami
1:36 PM (55 minutes ago)
to Zweli, me
Hi Zweli
I hope alls well with you and the Party. I sorely miss my visits to SA which is due to my bypass op a year ago and subsequent surgery.
Hopefully it wont be long before my Cardiac Consultant will clear me for long distance flying, particularly as London is undergoing some awful weather. I don't think Obed is enjoying our climate very much.
Zweli I was very disheartened to receive the email below from Subry Govender regarding the long-running sad saga surrounding the application for a licence by the Southside Radio Committee, which hopefully was to serve the South Indian population, the only racial group in SA that doesn't have a dedicated station of its own. You may recall me discussing this issue with you and JZ`s office on a few occasions.
It seems incredible that its now 5 years since the application was first made and in spite of the umpteen meetings with Govt Ministers, Deputy Minister, Senior officials of ICACA and other NGO`s, a definitive response is still awaited.
I was in attendance at Phyllis Naidoo`s memorial service in the Durban City Hall where you as the Guest Speaker heaped praise and gratitude for the role she and other South Indians played and sacrifices made by them during the struggle years and that was something that the ANC has always recognised and never forgotten. This was a sentiment shared my our beloved Madiba as well..
It seems absolutely ironical that this very group which comprises more than 60% of SA`s Indian population is now being so marginalised and being denied a radio station which from afar can only be put down to abject bureaucracy.
As you can gauge from the correspondence below the issue is being just passed from one office to another with no element of positivity at all !!!
Zweli can I please seek your assistance yet again to lend your support to bring about the realisation of the Southside Radio which is long overdue.
With regards
Deva"
HURDLE
----------------
As already mentioned we want to launch as soon as possible but the issue of a frequency continues to be a hurdle.
We are still having problems and would like urgent intervention so that we could make speedy progress in the launch of our Southside FM Radio station.
The late Minister, Roy Padaychee, told our cultural evening that "it's not right that you have been granted a community licence but a frequency has not yet been finalised".
When he passed on in 2012, President Jacob Zuma, gave an assurance that all of Mr Padaychie's projects should be concluded successfully. Southside FM Radio is one of Mr Padaychie's projects but yet we are struggling to obtain a frequency.
PROPOSITION
---------------------------
In view of the importance of the contributions made by this community and the need for a radio station to promote the cultures, languages, music and traditions of this community, we would like to make the following propositions:
1. That Southside be granted an FM frequency in the main target areas of Durban and Johannesburg-Pretoria regions without any unnecessary delays.
CONCLUSION
----------------------------
In conclusion, we would like to say that:
Southside FM Radio will be a progressive voice - not only promoting the cultures, languages, and traditions of people of South Indian-origin but will also promote the full South African-ness of our target market.
We are South Africans and will promote this fully. In view of this we have decided to promote the teaching of IsiZulu and other languages on our radio station when we start.
We are being supported in our project not only by the community in general but also by cultural, linguistic, musical, social, and business leaders but also by prominent leaders who played significant roles in our struggles for our new, non-racial democracy.
Our target market is not only in the Durban, north coast, south coast, Pietermaritzburg region but also in the Johannesburg-Pretoria region; Cape Town; Port Elizabeth-East London; Newcastle-Ladysmith and Richard Bay.
In terms of the National Communications Policy(NCP) of the ruling ANC and the Government, it is the policy of the Government to promote cultural and community radio stations of the communities that make up our non-racial and multi-cultural society.
We are puzzled as to why we cannot be accommodated when other religious and linguistic groups have been granted frequencies to promote their cultures, traditions, languages and music.
We want to emphasise once again that we make up between 55 to 60 percent of the people of Indian origin in South Africa and cannot understand how this community, which has played a significant and important role in the political, social, educational and sporting struggles for the new democratic South Africa, should continue to be marginalised and sidelined.
We are a progressive force and as such we should have no difficulty whatsoever of being, not only encouraged, but also assisted in our campaign to launch a cultural radio station for South Africans who are of south Indian-origin.
Subry Govender
Secretary
----------------------------
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