KwaMashu's new community radio station vibes it up

Vibe FM, a community radio station based in KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal, recently went live with its first broadcast. The station has been granted a four-year broadcasting licence, from 5 April 2007 to May 2011, to broadcast to the community of KwaMashu and surrounding areas.

Situated in KwaMashu within the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality, this area is called the INK nodal development area -an acronym meaning Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu - designated as an urban renewal area. Working together with the community the station produces and broadcasts quality programmes to address socio-economic issues that the community faces.

Vibe FM was licensed by ICASA as part of a group of about 15 identified community radio frequencies in the nodal development point areas throughout the country. These community radio stations were licensed to enhance the government programme, Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Plan (strategy) to ensure that certain areas based in remote rural and urban centres are prioritised for development.

The radio station is the third to go on air from this group in the category of community radio stations that are based in the nodal development areas. The first community radio station to go on air was Alfred Nzo Community Radio station based in Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape in Alfred Nzo District Municipality. The second was Forte Community Radio in Amatole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

“The going on air of Vibe FM is a celebration of yet another community radio station whose purpose is to provide access to information to the impoverished community of KwaMashu. This will further enable the community to have a voice, and to play a meaningful role in the development of KwaMashu and its people,” says Lumko Mtimde of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).

Vibe FM went on air for the first time on Friday, 20 of March 2009. For more, go to www.vibefmcr.org.za.