Behind every book is a story, for Ananias Ndlovu, his began at 3:00 a.m. in a quiet radio studio.On Wednesday at Freedom Park, Pretoria, Ndlovu launched The Real Death of Community Media, a deeply personal account of his life in the industry he loves.“This book is not just a collection of theories,” Ndlovu said. “It’s a memoir of my own struggle.”
He spent eight years working in community radio, often without a salary. His most vivid memory is the “graveyard shift,” broadcasting from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. while the rest of the world slept. “When the sun rose, my work didn’t end,” he recalled. “I stayed at the station to be the news editor, the reporter, and the organiser. Back then, there were no HR departments to protect workers. People stayed for years because they were promised that experience would lead to something better. For many, that big break never came.”Ndlovu chose a provocative title to get people talking. For years, he watched how local stations gave hope to people in dusty villages and crowded townships, speaking their language and exposing problems big media ignored. But The Real Death of Community Media is also a warning. He argues the industry is dying because the system is broken.
“The same problems I faced in the late 1990s—no money, zero resources—are still facing young journalists in community media today in 2026,” he said.To ensure the book wasn’t dismissed as just personal grievance, Ndlovu worked with ten researchers and professors to back up his stories with data and academic analysis. Despite decades of government meetings and workshops, he says little has changed for community journalists. “If you want to prosper in life, you must work very hard,” he said, reflecting on his path. He remembers a time when community radio was so popular you could hear it playing in every house on the street. The book, however, is not only about the past. It’s a plea for the future. “If community media is to survive, it must stay relevant,” Ndlovu argued. “Local journalists should focus on stories that national TV stations don’t know about. Don’t give people what’s already popular. Give them your own thing.
Make them come to you for information they can’t get anywhere else.”He also urged government and business to support small stations through advertising. “Without this support, the voices of people in marginalised streets will eventually go silent.”The Real Death of Community Media is a tribute to everyone who has ever worked for free to keep a community’s hope alive—and a warning that their hard work deserves more than just experience. It deserves a future.
