daniel chigunwe
George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The new Avuxeni FM community radio station in Chiredzi has taken the Lowveld by storm, with people in the area hailing the birth of the station which marks a new epoch in broadcasting.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa on Sunday inaugurated the new kid on the block, leaving the Chiredzi community spellbound on a day the nation joined the rest of the world in marking World Radio Day.
For the Lowveld community, the birth of Avuxeni FM was long overdue, with the delivery of the station to the Shangani people a huge statement of intent by the Second Republic which played midwife to the community radio station.
Avuxeni, which is short for “Va le vuxeni”, means people of the east and was adopted as a greeting slogan by the Vatsonga (Shangani) people, who dominate the Lowveld area from Mwenezi to the east right up to Malipati on the fringes of the Limpopo Valley.
Communities there were completely cut off from the rest of the country with no radio and television connectivity, leaving them to make do with radio services from neighbouring counties such as Mozambique and South Africa.
Under President Mnangagwa’s administration, 14 community radios, the majority in remote and border areas of the country and broadcasting in minority languages, have been issued with licences to go on air.
Avuxeni FM became the first among the lot to go on air, a situation that has sparked echoes of joy and hope amongst the Lowveld community.
The station’s board of trustees chairperson Mr Hebert Pikela paid homage to the Second Republic, saying the station was key in the promotion and upholding of the culture and values of the Shangani people.
“This is a development that was long overdue and Avuxeni FM will bridge the information gap across the Lowveld for the socio-economic benefit of the Lowveld where the majority of the people are Shangani,” said Mr Pikela.
“As Avuxeni FM, we thank the Government through the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services and agencies such as BAZ and Transmedia, as well as local stakeholders for making sure that this community radio station is a dream come true.”
Mr Pikela noted that going forward, sustainability of the project was key.
He appealed for the authorities to allow advertising so that the community radio could sustain itself.
An array of challenges confronted the new community radio and needed to be attended to, to ensure survival into the future.
“Connectivity is a major challenge and currently we are relying on only two transmitters, one in Chiredzi town and another in Chikombedzi, leaving out key Limpopo Valley communities like Malipati and N’wanedzi,.
According to Mr Pikela, lack of outside broadcasting equipment means the station cannot operate live outside Chiredzi town where the majority of people are.
The new station also needed a solar system or back-up generator to beat power outages.
Chiredzi West National Assembly member Cde Farai Musikavanhu hailed the opening of the community radio, describing it as a “powerful statement by the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa that no one and no place will be left behind” in the country’s development agenda.
The legislator noted that the largely Shangani people who predominate Chiredzi and the Lowveld can now access and disseminate information in their own language, thanks to Avuxeni FM.
“Radio is a powerful tool in reaching out to communities and Avuxeni FM is a strategic tool in the quest to engender socio-economic development in Chiredzi and the Lowveld in line with Vision 2030,” said Cde Musikavanhu.
Lowveld Business Development Association chair Mr Kurauone Venancio echoed the same sentiments, saying it was now easy to relay information pertinent to the Lowveld community on radio because of Avuxeni FM.
Mr Venancio hailed President Mnangagwa and his Government for walking the talk on projects that have a direct bearing on people’s lives.
A Tshovani youth, Leninist Dumela, said the radio station would be a platform to discuss pertinent issues affecting the youths, especially illegal border crossing into South Africa by school dropouts.
Traditional leaders said the radio station was key in the promotion of Shangani cultural values like initiation and circumcision.
Online Reporter