To:

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

Community Broadcasting Services Department

Cc:

Portfolio Committee on Communications

City of Johannesburg

1. INTRODUCTION

We, the undersigned listeners, volunteers, cultural workers, and members of the Johannesburg community, hereby submit this petition against Jozi FM, a licensed community radio station, for operating in a manner that excludes meaningful community participation, contrary to the ICASA Community Broadcasting Service (CBS) Regulations and the principles underpinning community media in South Africa.

2. BASIS OF THE PETITION

Jozi FM is licensed as a community radio station, which carries specific obligations under ICASA regulations, including but not limited to:

• Community ownership and control
• Democratic governance
• Transparent decision-making
• Meaningful involvement of the community it serves

We allege that Jozi FM has failed to uphold these obligations and is effectively operating as a commercial or privately controlled entity, to the detriment of the community it is mandated to serve.

3. GROUNDS FOR COMPLAINT

The community raises the following concerns:

3.1 Lack of Community Participation

• The broader Johannesburg community is not meaningfully involved in programming decisions, station governance, or strategic direction.
• Community members are excluded from opportunities to participate as volunteers, presenters, producers, or contributors without clear, transparent criteria.

3.2 Governance and Accountability Failures

• There is limited or no access to information regarding the station’s board, management structures, or constitution.
• Annual General Meetings (AGMs), if held, are not adequately publicised or accessible to the wider community.
• Community members are not given reasonable opportunities to elect or recall board members.

3.3 Deviation from Community Broadcasting Mandate

• Programming increasingly reflects commercial or elite interests, rather than the diverse voices, languages, cultures, and socio-economic realities of Johannesburg communities.
• The station does not adequately reflect grassroots issues, community development priorities, or local cultural expression as required of a community broadcaster.

3.4 Possible Non-Compliance with ICASA Regulations

These practices may be in violation of:

• ICASA Community Broadcasting Service Regulations
• Electronic Communications Act, 2005
• The conditions of Jozi FM’s community broadcasting licence

4. IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY

As a result of these failures:

• The community is disenfranchised from a public resource intended for its benefit.
• Trust between the station and its listeners has deteriorated.
• Emerging broadcasters, youth, women, and local creatives are denied access to platforms meant to empower them.
• The foundational purpose of community radio participation, empowerment, and local ownership — is undermined.

5. OUR DEMANDS

We respectfully call on ICASA to:

• Investigate Jozi FM’s compliance with its community broadcasting licence conditions.
• Conduct an independent compliance audit focusing on governance, community participation, and programming.
• Compel Jozi FM to regularise its governance structures, including transparent AGMs and democratic board elections.
• Ensure the implementation of mechanisms for genuine community involvement in station operations.
• Apply corrective measures or sanctions, where non-compliance is confirmed, in line with ICASA’s mandate.

Community radio exists to serve the people not private interests. Jozi FM operates on a frequency that is a public resource, and its continued licence must be contingent upon demonstrable service to, and governance by, the community it claims to represent.

We submit this petition in good faith, in the interest of accountability, transparency, and the preservation of authentic community broadcasting in Johannesburg