Are there only two community radio stations in the Vhembe district with valid broadcasting licences?
This conclusion is drawn solely from information supplied by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) following a legal process to compel it to respond to inquiries. The information supplied by ICASA, however, appears to be incomplete, omitting records that contradict its response.
ICASA responded in May this year to a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application filed by Limpopo Mirror. The broadcasting authority was asked for all records relating to community radio station licences and compliance in the Vhembe region.
When a request is submitted in terms of PAIA, the organisation has 30 days to respond. The request was filed on 25 March, but ICASA initially ignored it. Only after several follow-up emails, and after the deadline had expired, did ICASA respond on 4 May, requesting an extension.
That extension also expired. Eventually, on 14 May, a response was received from Ndivhuo Rabuli, ICASA’s Executive: Legal, Risk and CCC, stating that the request had been granted. The catch, however, was that he supplied just 12 licensing agreements, 10 of which had already expired. No compliance reports or records relating to pending applications were provided.
Based on the information supplied, only two stations — Choice FM and Kingdom FM — had valid broadcasting licences. This, however, contradicts other information, including records available on ICASA’s website. It is also disputed by most of the local radio stations contacted by Limpopo Mirror.
Why ask questions?
Community radio, like other forms of media such as television and newspapers, has faced a tumultuous decade. Its primary source of income, advertising, has steadily shifted to social media platforms and search engines. As a result, it is uncertain how many stations have survived and are still broadcasting.
Community radio nevertheless plays an important role in disseminating news, often in indigenous languages. It provides information tailored to the needs of small, often rural, communities.
The challenges these stations face are enormous. ICASA’s licence conditions are restrictive, making it difficult for community broadcasters to compete on an equal footing with larger stations such as the SABC’s PhalaPhala FM. Language and content quotas often require stations to sacrifice popularity to meet regulatory requirements.
Signal distribution is also expensive. Traditionally, most stations relied on Sentech, but this has become unaffordable for many. Parliamentary records show that debt owed by community broadcasters to Sentech has increased steadily.
As of the latest parliamentary briefing, the total debt stood at R156 million on 25 November 2024, with several stations in arrears or having had their services suspended. Many have instead opted to buy or lease their own transmitters.
Some stations have moved to internet broadcasting. This, however, generally results in much smaller audiences, as many listeners are reluctant to spend money on mobile data to listen to radio.
Community radio stations also battle with internal power struggles, with newcomers attempting to wrest control from the old guard. As non-profit organisations, they are required to be governed by boards elected from often loosely defined “communities of interest”.
Many stations also depend on advertising from local municipalities while trying to secure support from provincial and national government departments. This requires a transparent system in which advertisers can be assured that a station is broadcasting legally and complying with its licence conditions.
Obtaining that information, however, appears to be extremely difficult.
Which stations are legal?
With ICASA not making all the relevant information available, it is necessary to rely on records already in the public domain.
ICASA is required to publish a list of class licences in the Government Gazette. The latest available list, published on 2 May 2025, records 207 Class CSBS (Community Sound Broadcasting Service) licences. A further 36 stations hold Class LPSBS (Low Power Sound Broadcasting Service) licences.
The list, however, does not group stations by geographical area and does not indicate the validity period of each licence.
Based on the list, five radio stations in Vhembe hold Class CSBS licences: Choice FM, Makhado FM, Musina Community Radio, Nzhelele FM and Univen FM. One station, Radio Thohoyandou, holds a Class LPSBS licence, while Vuwani Community Radio holds a Class ECNS licence.
A Class CSBS licence is what most community radio stations require. It allows them to broadcast over a defined area using an assigned FM frequency.
A Class LPSBS licence is intended for highly localised broadcasting. Transmitter power is limited to one watt, resulting in a very small coverage area. Such licences are generally suited to locations such as shopping centres or church complexes.
The Class ECNS licence held by Vuwani Community Radio is unusual because it authorises the holder only to build, operate or make available electronic communications infrastructure, not to broadcast.
Licences are in place, say managers
Questions put to local radio stations about their licensing status were met with some distrust. Several station managers were reluctant to provide information about their operations.
Makonde Mbedzi, manager of Makhado FM, responded promptly, saying the station’s licence is valid. He forwarded the 2025 Government Gazette list, explaining that the station had successfully reapplied in December 2023.
According to Mbedzi, the reports that must be submitted to ICASA are also up to date, with the latest filed at the end of February this year.
Makhado FM previously faced compliance issues because its licence was held by a deregistered and defunct non-profit organisation, Luonde Media. In 2022, it was reported that the station had been under the control of a for-profit company for several years and lacked a legitimate board.
Luonde Media’s licence expired on 7 December 2023, but a two-year extension applied following a landmark court ruling that broadcasting licences should be valid for seven years instead of five.
Mbedzi was asked whether he could provide details of the new licence so that the identity of the new licence holder could be confirmed. He did not respond to that request.
Justice Langa, manager of Musina Community Radio, initially asked where the information originated stating that the station’s licence had expired. After ICASA’s response was forwarded to him, he telephoned to say that the station’s licence remained valid.
He subsequently provided a copy of the renewed licence, showing that it was renewed on 24 August 2024 and remains valid until 23 August 2031.
Both Makhado FM and Musina Community Radio use their own transmitters and do not rely on Sentech.
The response from Univen FM was similar. Thizwilondi Mbedzi, better known as Heavy T, said the station’s licence had been renewed and would expire only on 31 October 2030.
“The station is currently on air and fully operational and is using Sentech for signal distribution,” he said.
Emmanuel Charley of Nzhelele FM acknowledged receipt of the questions and promised to respond promptly. He never did.
Not all are listed
One notable omission from the Government Gazette list is Vhembe FM. The station has been embroiled in a long-running dispute over control between one of its founders, Thendo Percy Mathobo, and the station’s management, including former board chairperson Robert Mphephu.
ICASA took the station off the air at the end of July 2025 for broadcasting without a valid licence, but it resumed broadcasting seven days later. The station argued that its licence also benefited from the seven-year validity period and would expire only in January 2027.
When questions were sent to the station last week, management responded in a brief unsigned statement saying the matter between it and ICASA is sub judice following the Supreme Court of Appeal judgement in 2025.
“We can also confirm, our station has applied for renewal of its broadcasting licence by the Authority,” it stated.
Choice FM’s name also does not appear on the Government Gazette list, although its licence remains valid until May 2028. The licence is held by Orifuna Old Age Home and, from what could be established, the station previously broadcast from Pastor Neluvhalani’s church in Thohoyandou.
The contact person, Seth Dagada, said the station is currently without permanent premises but plans to relocate to Tshakhuma Mall, with a satellite station at the old ministers’ houses in Sibasa.
Some of the other radio stations listed in the records supplied by ICASA could either not be reached or did not respond to questions. These include Vuwani Community Radio, Limpopo FM, Mala FM, Thulamela FM and Hlanganani FM.