Disgruntled presenters are accusing the management of the station of not understanding their managerial duties. The group has been picketing outside the station offices in the Bloemfontein CBD since this morning. According to them, they have not yet received the December bonuses that were promised to them by the station manager, Manko Buffel.

The host of the Morning Drive show at the troubled community station, Fana Mini, spoke to Bloemfontein Courant’s Lucky Nkuyane and Pierce van Heerden. According to Mini, the station’s managerial positions “are filled by people who barely understand or have qualifications for the positions”.

“The presenters have on several occasions tried to get in contact with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) in a bid to try an address the issues, but their pleas constantly fell on deaf ears.

“Right now as the presenters we don’t have any written contracts to show that we are employed by the station on a voluntary basis,” said Mini.

Fana Mini. Photo: Pierce van Heerden

The presenters allege that the office of the Free State Premier, Sisi Ntombela, recently made a contribution to the station’s financial coffers, but they are yet to see any positive results emanating from that contribution.

They say they have had enough with how they are being treated by management, and they want them gone. They also ask for an annual general meeting (AGM) to be held. They allege that the last AGM was held five years ago in 2014.

However, there was some disagreement amongst the presenters after it emerged that two officials from the African National Congress (ANC) invited the disgruntled presenters to a roundtable discussion in the hopes to find a lasting solution. One of the presenters objected to the idea that they meet with the two officials. The presenter apparently suspected that the negotiations by the two officials are an attempt to protect Buffel and her team from the predicament they find themselves in.

One of the presenters says he works during the night and the station is yet to provide him with a shift allowance and transport. As a result of not having transport, he has been a victim of muggings quite a few times and he has never received any kind of compensation from the station.

Bloemfontein Courant’s efforts to try and get a response from both the marketing manager and the programmes manager were unsuccessful. The two directed these queries to Buffel who since promised to respond in due course. 

Bloemfontein Courant/Lucky Nkuyane