Community radio and social change in South Africa: How Kurara FM facilitates local development initiatives RG Mooki

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how Kurara FM, a community radio station in South Africa's Northern Cape Province, operates as a catalyst for social change in Kuruman, a region characterised by historical fragmentation and the marginalisation of indigenous groups such as the ‡Khomani. Framed primarily by Media Advocacy Theory and Participatory Development Communication, the study examines how Kurara FM disseminates information, facilitates participation, empowers marginalised voices and negotiates the tension between bottom-up ideals and top-down pressures. A qualitative instrumental case study design was employed, drawing on in-depth interviews with station personnel and semi-structured interviews with community participants, including community leaders and representatives of community-based organisations. The findings indicate that Kurara FM contributes meaningfully to social change by providing locally relevant news, promoting accountability through its watchdog role, supporting youth and women's empowerment, and preserving local languages and cultures. The station uses structured, issue-based programming and multilingual broadcasts to engage listeners and align with broader development and public health priorities. However, the analysis also reveals that participation is largely confined to reactive audience engagement such as call-ins and social media responses while decisions about programming and agenda-setting remain primarily management-driven and shaped by external policy frameworks and funding imperatives. Technical limitations in signal coverage further exclude remote settlements from full participation in the communicative space. The study concludes that Kurara FM functions as a catalyst for social change in a partial and contested manner. It expands spaces for voice and engagement, yet these spaces are unevenly accessible and constrained by institutional, commercial and spatial dynamics. The dissertation argues that understanding community radio as a complex institutional site where participation, power, identity and development are continuously negotiated offers a more nuanced basis for theorising its role in social transformation. The findings refine existing assumptions about community radio's potential and limitations and point to the need for deeper, structurally informed approaches to participatory media practice.