Open letter to Whale Coast FM

Whale Coast FM

To whom it may concern

This serves to inform you that Land Party Councilor Michael Mhana will not be participating in the interview on Whale Coast FM this evening. He will, in fact, not be participating in any interviews with Whale Coast FM, ever.

Whale Coast FM has ensured, despite theoretically being a community radio station, that a majority of that community does not have access to their platform. They have intentionally ignored, and thereby censored, the voices of a community they are meant to serve.

Community radio is supposed to be operated by a community for the benefit of the community. It is meant to empower a community by providing a media platform where the community can get information, share experiences, and contribute.

Despite the numerous historical events that have happened in Hermanus over the last 2 years, your “community” radio station has not once given any airtime to anyone who is not a DA or ANC supporter.

When there were service delivery protests you did not interview the community activists or leaders, you did not use the power of radio to get feedback from the people affected, to give them a voice.

When a political party rose out of the ashes and gave this community an official voice, right here on the Whale Coast, and won a few Overstrand wards in the 2019 National elections, you wouldn’t have known if you listened to Whale Coast FM.

When the Land Party contested the recent Ward 12 by-election, were you interested? No.

Whale Coast FM has shown zero interest in the history happening around it. Now, all of a sudden, you have the audacity to send an ANC member, who is a possible candidate in the upcoming local elections, to request an interview with Councilor Michael Mhana? To what end?

No member of the Land Party will be interviewed on Whale Coast FM. Land Party is not interested in appearing on fake community radio stations that are actually mouthpieces for the political ‘elite’ and white monopoly capitalists. Land Party may reconsider this stance once Whale Coast FM is the community radio station it is meant to be.

END