The popular Khayelitsha-based community radio station Zibonele FM is back on air but this time only for 45days.
Two months ago, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) took the community radio station off air after failing to renew its broadcasting licence. While Zibonele was operating without a licence since 2018.
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Zibonele FM failed to submit the required renewal application for its licence in accordance with section 19(2) of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) of 2005 .
However, the late minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu and then-minister for communications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams had intervened to try to find a solution and finalise, a support strategy for sustaining community media. But it seemed there were no lasting solutions as the matter has come back to haunt the station as per a report by IOL.
Furthermore, on the 1 September the 20-year-old station went back to broadcasting after it acquired a Special Event licence but this time, only for 45 days leading to a full blow closure after.
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