Rocking the Western Cape
“Are you the William from the radio?” has become a familiar question for William Syzaar as soon as he opens his mouth in shops in his neighbourhood. His Eastern Cape accent sets him apart from the locals.
Syzaar is Numsa’s Paarl organiser and one of Numsa’s labour’s hosts who are actively involved in the weekly labour slots on community radio stations across the country.
Syzaar works with KC radio station. It beams out on Thursday evenings from 6-7 pm to areas in the Paarl valley like Porterville , Franschhoek, Pniel, Kraaifontein, Wellington , Saron and Durbanville.
Syzaar says he has come to realize how important the labour slot is. “There are a lot of people out there, who are part of the working class who are not unionised. They are not up to scratch as far as the LRA, the EEA and BCEA goes. They are not aware of the laws that are there to protect them,” he says.
But those that have come to like Syzaar’s voice will be sad to hear that the “voice” is on the move. He is leaving Numsa to go and work for Nehawu in Oudsthoorn where his family lives.
But his voice will not be lost to radio. He plans to continue on Eden FM that covers the Southern Cape and Karoo .
Meanwhile Numsa is making plans to put someone in his place at Radio KC.
Across from Paarl to Cape Town, Sharon McKinnon, shop steward at Roth Medical in Cape Town, and equally passionate labour radio host, is excited by the news that listenership on ‘her station’ – 786 Gatesville – is improving every week.
786 covers Cape Town , Atlantis and right up the West Coast. “I have learnt a lot,” she says. “Before I never got involved with other unions. Now I get to know more about them.”
Find KC radio on 107.7FM * Find 786 Gatesville on 100.4FM * Phone your labour news to 021-447 6845
KQ FM iya-rocka!
After its humble beginnings Inkqubela FM, known as KQ fm to their listeners, is proudly celebrating six months since its launch. During this time they have managed to inspire 115 000 listeners. Inkqubela covers the Nelson Mandela Metro (NMM) and the surrounding areas.
“The station is for the community, the people in the shacks of Motherwell, Zwide and e-Tinarha,” says Songezo Ndzengu who is on the sales and marketing side of the station. “It is for all those who support this initiative of community radio which was started by Cosatu.”
Situated in Zwide township in Port Elizabeth at the OR Tambo Centre, the station is on-air 24-hours. It targets people within the 24 to 49 age groups and broadcasts in three languages – Xhosa, English and Afrikaans.
The station aims to help the community with projects and to groom future broadcasters and DJs. At the moment they are running programmes that are community-based like childrens’, sport, current affairs, news and discussions. Most of their staff are volunteers.
Evidence that their formula is working is that listeners from NMM frequently phone the station.
“This is just the beginning of greater things to come from this mouth of the people. Yebo, the people have spoken, KQ FM iya-rocka!” says a laughing Ndzengu.
Listen to KQ on 97.0FM.