The quagmire of accusations and counter-accusations at the local community radio station, Makhado FM, continued the past week. While the station held what they called an annual general meeting (AGM) to elect a new board, the suspended station manager claimed that he was reinstated and working hard to steer the station into calmer waters.

The controversial station manager of Makhado FM,  Mr Takalani Joseph Khomola, visited this newspaper on Monday in an effort to clear his name. He stated that he had been reinstated over the past weekend and wanted to react to accusations that he had acted unlawfully and had made false promises to staff.

Khomola was suspended on 17 April this year, following allegations of sexually harassing female presenters, the misuse of station funds and not managing the station properly. Khomola denied these charges and said he was not the one who had made false promises to staff members regarding remuneration. This he blamed on the CEO of Luonde Media Resources, Mr Junior Ramovha.

Khomola’s version of events was emphatically denied by Mr Makonde Mbedzi, who was appointed as acting station manager. Mbedzi said the radio station had held an "AGM" at the Makhado Municipality over the past weekend, during which a new board was elected. He confirmed that Khomola was still suspended, pending the investigation initiated earlier.

Khomola’s claims that he had been reinstated surprised a number of people who attended Saturday’s meeting. After the meeting, Khomola told one of Limpopo Mirror’s correspondents that he was going to resign. He also sent an SMS to Mr Mbedzi, stating that he would tender his resignation. In this message, he also congratulates the newly elected board.

Mbedzi stated on Tuesday that the station was in the process of restructuring in an effort to repair some of the damage done by previous management teams. He said Khomola had appointed almost 60 staff members, which created an impossible situation. According to him, Ramovha had offered to pay the salaries of 28 staff members for a period of two months out of his own pocket.

As another example of bad management, Mbedzi alleged that Khomola had appointed no fewer than three security companies to render services at the station. “Each of them is claiming R13 000 per month,” he said.

Makhado FM has gone through a period of almost four years of turmoil. Khomola replaced the previous station manager, Moses Muneri. Muneri had to go after he was accused of the mismanagement of funds and even of the theft of a radio transmitter. A charge of theft was made at the local police station, but  Mr Khomola apparently  withdrew the charges. It is not sure what action Muneri is taking or whether he has opted to stay on the sideline while the power struggles are continuing.

During Saturday’s "AGM", no audited financial statements were made available. Mr Mbedzi blamed this on Khomola and said he had gone off with all the bank statements and receipts.

The station’s financial situation is also cause for serious concern. The management previously confirmed that it owed the landlord more than R700 000 in rent. The telephone lines were disconnected a few years ago because of the non-payment of accounts. It is also believed that the station’s municipal account is far in arrears.

As far as the payment of presenters is concerned, Mbedzi and Khomola agreed that the presenters are currently working on a voluntary basis. Mbedzi said that Junior Ramovha had offered to foot the salary bill for two months, but this had not yet happened. On a question posed to him whether the station would eventually reimburse Mr Ramovha, Mbedzi said there were no conditions attached to this gesture and he (Ramovha) was doing it because he believed in the station.

The legality and conduct of Luonde Media Resources, the holder of the broadcasting license of Makhado FM, have  caused several eyebrows to be raised in the past. It seems clear that the Section 21 company had not conducted legitimate AGMs for a number of years. During Saturday’s “AGM”, no audited financial statements were made available. This is in contravention of the Companies Act, which states that the company must keep financial and accounting records in the prescribed form, present these to the AGM of members and file them with the Registrar.

Mr Mavhungu Makatu, the local representative of Icasa (the controlling body for radio licences), did not want to comment on the matter. Efforts were made to contact Paseka Maleka, the spokesperson for Icasa, but she was not available at the time of going to press.