Alex FM has has been looted and has not been able to get on air.
Station manager Takalani Nemangowe told Sowetan on Tuesday morning that the looters gained entrance to their offices at about 2am and stole all the broadcasting equipment and computers, among other things.
The building the station operates from also houses U-Save, Shoprite and the SA Social Security Agency offices.
“They vandalised our studio and took everything. At this point in time we don’t have anything. The station is off, we cannot broadcast. They took from laptops, mixers, microphones, speakers. Everything that we had is gone. We had four studios at Alex FM and all of them were looted,” Nemangowe said.
He estimated that damage caused was about R5m. This now has left the radio station established in 1994 in a serious predicament.
By being off air, the station will not be able to generate revenue and that places the jobs of 40 youths on the line.
“We are going to lose a lot of money because we are off air. Moreover, the community of Alexandra have been robbed of a voice. We are the only platform on which the community can raise their issues. That voice has been silenced.
“There were young people who work here and they get experience before going to mainstream media. Now their jobs are very much threatened. There is no activity, there is no production and we are not going to generate any income to sustain their stipends. All of us, our jobs are on the line,” Nemangowe.
He said at the moment he has no idea how and when the station will come back to air.
Alexandra has been one of the areas that have been hit hard by violent protests over the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma.
On Monday, the Pan Africa Mall and surrounding businesses were looted by thousands of Alexandra residents.
Two people died during the looting.
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