CHAOS AT JOZI FM: New Acting CEO Locked Out At The Gate As Power Battle Explodes

BREAKING: Jozi FM Board Sounds Alarm Over Alleged Lockout of Acting CEO

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — A leadership dispute at Soweto-based community radio station Jozi FM 105.8 has intensified after the station’s board condemned what it described as an “unlawful” attempt to prevent newly appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer Collen Hans from accessing the station’s premises.

In a statement issued on Monday, October 5, the Board of Directors of SMRC Trading, which operates Jozi FM, said Hans was allegedly denied entry by Gabriel Banda, who the board says claims to represent management.

The development comes amid an ongoing dispute over the station’s leadership following disciplinary proceedings involving former CEO Mpho Hector Mhlongo.

According to the board, an independent disciplinary hearing was convened after Mhlongo was given notices to appear on September 28 and again on September 29. The board said he failed to attend the proceedings despite being notified.

The chairperson of the hearing subsequently ruled that sufficient notice had been provided, according to the board, paving the way for the directors to appoint Hans as interim Acting CEO.

The board has now firmly rejected any challenge to Hans’s authority, insisting that he is the only person currently authorised by the board to serve as Acting CEO.

“The Board views this action as an attempt to undermine its fiduciary authority, disrupt operations, defy ICASA’s CCC and the Courts, and place the station’s broadcast licence at risk,” the statement said.

The board further alleged that preventing Hans from accessing the station contravenes Jozi FM’s Terms of Reference, which it said are regulated through the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s Complaints and Compliance Committee (CCC) Directive.

It also claimed that the action conflicts with an existing court order.

The dispute has raised concerns about the potential impact of the leadership battle on the station’s day-to-day operations and its ability to continue serving the Soweto community without disruption.

The board said it had escalated the matter to ICASA as part of the station’s mandatory compliance reporting. It also confirmed that urgent legal measures were being pursued to secure Hans’s access to the premises.

These measures could include contempt of court proceedings, where applicable, according to the board.

The directors also issued a warning against what they described as external interference in the station’s management and corporate governance, saying they would maintain a zero-tolerance approach to such conduct.

For now, the dispute places the governance of one of Soweto’s community broadcasting platforms under renewed scrutiny. The board maintains that Hans remains the duly authorised Acting CEO and says it will use regulatory and legal channels to resolve the impasse and protect the station’s operational continuity.

Source https://x.com/i/status/2107090555784008100

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