Grade Seven drop out operates illegal community radio

A 21 year old, Standard (Grade) One school drop out, Gabriel Kondesi, has been operating a community radio station using a set of three small transistor radios to penetrate the airwaves.
He has been operating the radio station from the Southern Malawi district of Mulanje at the frequency of 98.5 FM.
However, the boy has been sent to jail for his sins because the radio station was not registered by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), the body responsible for allocating frequencies in Malawi.
Mulanje Second Grade Magistrate, Aristotle Lameck Mkwapatira last Friday slapped Kondesi with a K50,000 (200 Euros) fine, in default, 10 months Imprisonment with Hard Labour for the offense.
Kondesi has failed to pay the fine, saying he could not afford as he was just a poor “villager”, and has since been sent to jail.
Mulanje Police Public Relations Officer, Rafael Makondetsa, said Kondesi hails from Soza village, in the areas of Traditional Authority Njema, Mulanje.
“Kondesi was arrested on October 10, 2009 after it was found that he operated a radio station called Pachikweza without a (Macra) license at Soza village in the district,” said Makondetsa.
Malawi’s Communications Act provides for a maximum K300, 000 (1,500 Euros) for such a fine.
“The boy was using batteries as a source of energy for operating the radio. But he did not have a fully-fledged studio for broadcasting. As a result, he was only airing phone in programmes,” said Makondetsa.