Radio 786 is a community radio station broadcasting on 100.4FM to the Greater Metropole Area in the Western Cape, South Africa; since September 1995. The station’s licence holder is the Islamic Unity Convention (IUC). Radio 786 is a Standing Committee of the IUC, with independent editorial and financial policies.

Management:
The day-to-day running of Radio 786 is managed by a committed and dedicated all female management team lead by Station Manager, Rushni Allie;
Marketing Manager: Najwah Meyer, News Editor: Zubeida Samsodien and HR/Admin. Manager: Siham Survé.

Ethos:

• Serving the interests of Muslims and the wider community in general. Its programming reflects those values.

• Promoting a socially conscious and responsible community.

• Promoting self reliance through gaining knowledge.

• Strengthening family values and morals.

• Providing knowledge and information, at the same time providing a platform to make informed decisions.

• Providing listeners with the opportunity to partake in issues which are of concern to them and to the community at large.

• To keep abreast of news, current affairs both local and Global on issues affecting all people and spheres of society.

• Encouraging the public to be vocal about their issues and to see concerns from a different perspective.

• Providing the oppressed and marginalized with a voice.

Objectives of the broadcast service:
One of the major functions of this service is to provide information to the community as a basis for them to make informed choices and to better understand the community they live in. To meet this objective Radio 786 will continue to produce a variety of programmes on issues that affect Muslims and the broader community. Radio 786 has gained recognition for its even-handed approach on issues affecting the community and its readiness to broadcast programmes on such issues.

Radio 786 primarily serves the broadcasting needs of the Muslim community. A wide variety of programmes are of a religious, theological and devotional nature. The Call to the five daily prayers, religious education, melodious recitation of the Qur’an, theological debates, Arabic literacy and the coverage of events in the Muslim community are the salient features of these programmes.

Radio 786’s approach:
Radio 786’s approach remains unique. It serves both the educational, informational and cultural needs of the community. It has positioned itself as an alternative station, always striving to consider and approach issues in a fresh and interesting way, while also entertaining the diverse views and opinions of the community it serves.
Apart from simply reporting on issues, Radio 786 tries to understand the sociological matrix in which events occur and thus to inform the listeners of the solutions to those challenges. Radio 786’s credibility enables it to secure interviews with personalities and organizations who hold influence and can contribute to addressing those challenges.

Instead of placing its primary emphasis on audience ratings, the station strives to maintain a high standard of thoroughly researched programmes, which are produced and presented in consultation with specialists and experts from the community. Radio 786’s news and actuality, social welfare and other programmes therefore do not rely on sensationalism to achieve its goals.

Two examples illustrate this approach:

• When a father in Bonteheuwel committed suicide by throwing himself and his two children in front of a moving train, Radio 786 covered the story by exploring the social circumstances that led to this incident. The station’s reporter retraced the path taken by the man as he made his way to the station, before committing the act, while considering the surrounding circumstances that could have played a role in his decision. The reporter also placed the event in a historical context, looking at the makeup of the family structure and general surrounding in the said community. The incident formed the departure point for further discussion on suicide, handling and finding rational solutions to the aforesaid circumstances, security and protection for children, children’s rights and the responsibility of communities to provide help during times of need. All of the resulting angles were dealt with by experts in their fields.

• During the recent gang violence in Hanover Park and the surrounding areas, Radio 786 sent its reporter out to the affected regions. Radio 786 spoke to individuals, community organisations and the local community policing forum to establish the exact circumstances that led to the flare up in violence. These groups kept Radio 786 updated on the situation and fed tip-offs to the station. In addressing the situation, Radio 786 hosted interviews with the Provincial Police Commissioner, Mzwandile Petros and the Director of Policy Formation for the Department of Social Services, Sharon Follentine. The interviews explored issues related to gang rivalry and their impact on law-abiding citizens, the effect this has on children and youth, what policies are in place or being developed to protect youth from becoming involved in crime and what is being done to improve the situation of the communities living in gangster-infested areas. The role of the media in covering such issues was also explored, while the psychological impact of gangsterism and crime were also addressed. Listeners were further allowed an opportunity to interact and pose questions to the guests and propose solutions to the problems.

Radio 786 strives to maintain this approach in all of its programming, covering issues as holistically as possible. It has developed itself a niche market in this regard.

Little else needs to be said about the impact that Radio 786 has made on the lives of ordinary citizens who have for years, been denied one of many key human rights “free speech”. It can be said that forced denial of any such rights, may lead an individual to believe that indeed he/she is not deserving of that right and so result in the person finding it a challenge to face his fears and even his own sense of justice and or integrity.

Radio 786 heralds the view that human rights to education, speech, spirituality, integrity, justice etc. are God–given entities and qualities to be used with respect and integrity. It is with this spirit that the station focuses on educating and empowering the community to both their rights and responsibilities in their daily social, political, economic and educational struggle. In this way, Radio 786 envisages and encourages social transformation where necessary.