Oranjemund community radio goes live
From left to right Naftal Negongo, OFM Station Manager, CRAN CEO, Stanley Shanapinda, Morna Ikosa from CRAN and Pauline Thomas, Namdeb Brand Manager.
The launch was sponsored by Namdeb Diamond Corporation and invited guests included amongst others, the CEO of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), Mr Stanley Shanapinda and the Mayor of Oranjemund, the Honourable Henry Coetzee.
The Oranjemund Community Radio Project was commissioned in 2011 and CRAN approved the licence in December 2012. To date Namdeb has invested approximately N$400,000 for infrastructure for the radio station. The radio initiative will support the community’s objective of growing and sustaining the town of Oranjemund beyond diamond mining. The radio station also provides a solution to enhanced information sharing and empowers the general community to have their voices heard as it is a dialogue platform.
It is hoped that the Oranjemund community radio will build and improve relationships. It will also be used as a medium to inspire, motivate, educate, entertain, inform and promote skills development.
English is the predominant language used for broadcast however some programmes will flight in Oshiwambo and Afrikaans as these are the town’s common languages.
In a speech read on his behalf by the first ever Mayor of Oranjemund Town, His Worship Henry Coetzee, the Deputy Minister had this to say: “Despite all the advances we have made with ICT advancements, radio broadcast remains the most popular and important communications means, in a developing country like Namibia. It is for this reason, that I want to commend the community of Oranjemund, and the management of Namdeb, for the shared vision and realisation of this initiative.”
The mayor, in his opening remarks, stated that the radio station is a platform which will support the development of the town, firmly placing Oranjemund on the map.
The fundraising event raised an amount of N$17,000 from ticket sales and pledges. The money will be will be ploughed back to the needs of the radio station.
