The Return of the Local: Community Radio as Dialogic and Participatory

Abstract

XK FM, a unique community radio station for the !Xu and Khwe communities of Platfontein, in Kimberley was established in August 2000 as a protege of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Its broadcasting licence, issued by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and renewable after every five years states that !Xuntali, Khwedam1 and Afrikaans are the languages of broadcasting (Mhlanga 2010a, 2010b). The first two languages belong to the 12th group of languages that are identified by the Pan-South African Language Board (PANSLAB) as the languages of the San people. However, for the San people only one radio station was established – XK FM, a community radio station for the !Xu and Khwe. When compared to all the other public radio stations that are owned and controlled by the SABC this radio station is strikingly unique. And in terms of its remit it is limited to serving the !Xu and Khwe communities; thus implying that this radio station remains fully answerable to a public broadcaster, SABC, while doubling as a community radio station (Mhlanga 2009, 2010a, 2010b). The Group Executive News and Current Affairs, Dr Snuki Zikalala emphasised its uniqueness by stressing that ‘when studying public radio stations in South Africa it is advisable to grant considerable attention to XK FM in order to understand factors that led to its formation’. He added that its uniqueness is not only in its remit and general mandate but is also embedded in the histories of the two communities.2