It is with great joy and thankfulness that Radio Khwezi celebrated the opening of a new live room together with numerous extensions to the existing building on Saturday, 17 April 2021.
Station manager, Daniel Wunderlich, introduced the event: “For over 25 years Radio Khwezi has been changing lives and giving hope. Radio Khwezi works together with the communities it serves to develop, produce and broadcast quality programmes that aim to educate and uplift the listeners. We are so grateful that with these new additions we now have the possibility of achieving this purpose more effectively.”
The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) sponsored the building of the broadcast studio and a news broadcast room. In addition to this, with the help of Kwasizabantu Mission, a new staff office, newsroom, reception and a board room have been added to the existing Radio Khwezi building.
Attending the function to officially open the new live broadcast studio was the CEO of the MDDA, Ms Zukiswa Potye. She expressed her delight at the positive developments that have taken place at Radio Khwezi and outlined the requirements that need to be met by a radio station in order to qualify for sponsorship. The MDDA is very pleased with the level of compliancy displayed by Radio Khwezi and aims to offer similar assistance to more community radio stations across the country.
In accordance with Covid-19 regulations a limited number of members from the community could attend the function, but the event was broadcast live over Radio Khwezi and livestreamed. There were representatives from Christian media organisations with which Radio Khwezi is associated; local businesses that work together with the station and members of the listeners’ club and board of directors.
Among the dignitaries were also PMS Ngubane who is the district Mayor of Umzinyathi municipality, and TC Ngubane who is the Mayor of uMvoti local municipality. They emphasised the positive impact that Radio Khwezi has had on the communities in its broadcast area, building moral fibre and educating its listeners.
Reverend Erlo Stegen, director of Kwasizabantu Mission and founder of Radio Khwezi, stated that it is his desire that wherever people may be, the Gospel will reach them through this radio station and that they will be touched and helped. It is his prayer that many lives will be changed and that Khwezi, which means ‘the morning star’ in isiZulu, will continue to shine brightly.