Jozi FM has appointed Collen Hans as acting chief executive officer, with the leadership change coming as the Soweto-based community radio station remains embroiled in a prolonged governance dispute that has already spilled into the courts and involved regulators.
In an internal memorandum dated 10 August 2026 and signed by board chairperson Rapitse Montsho, the station announced that Hans would take over as acting CEO with immediate effect, following a board resolution to suspend incumbent CEO Dr Mpho Mhlongo. The appointment is effective from 10 August until further notice.
The memorandum states that the decision was made following Board Resolution BR/2026/24 and was intended to ensure “continuity of operations” and compliance with ICASA terms and a High Court order dated 23 July 2026. Hans has also been designated the station’s authorised signatory, while operational matters, approvals and external correspondence are to be directed to him.
The latest development is the newest chapter in a bitter governance battle at the station, which has been unfolding for several years and intensified after questions were raised over the management of millions of rand in National Lotteries Commission funding.
Jozi FM operates under the Soweto Media Resource Centre NPC. GroundUp reported that the organisation received R34.8 million in National Lotteries Commission grants between August 2013 and October 2015, with R24 million paid in two R12 million tranches and a further R10.8 million later allocated. The Special Investigating Unit has been investigating the grants, amid conflicting accounts about how the money was intended to be used and what happened to it.
Mhlongo had previously raised concerns about the funds and alleged that there was no proper accounting for millions intended for a proposed multimedia or media resource centre in Soweto. Board chairperson Montsho, however, has given a different account, saying the organisation acted as a conduit for funding connected to a documentary project called “Freedom Was Not Free”.
The dispute escalated into criminal proceedings. Montsho was arrested in November 2025 in connection with allegations of fraud and theft involving the lottery grants and was released on R10,000 bail. The charges were provisionally withdrawn in March 2026, but the matter was referred to the Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit for further investigation. Montsho has not pleaded to the allegations.
The leadership dispute subsequently moved back into the civil courts. In July, Montsho launched an urgent application challenging the authority of a rival group of directors, arguing that they had been unlawfully appointed and were exercising powers they were not entitled to exercise. The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission and ICASA were cited in the proceedings because of their regulatory roles.
Montsho argued that the dispute centred on whether the people currently running the station had lawfully acquired the authority to do so. He sought orders preventing the disputed leadership from exercising board powers and asked the court to preserve the governance framework recognised in an earlier court order while the broader legal dispute was being resolved.
The latest internal memo now points to the 23 July High Court order as part of the basis for the decision to suspend Mhlongo and install an acting CEO. The document itself does not set out the detailed findings of that court order, but makes clear that the board considers the appointment necessary to meet its governance and regulatory obligations.
Mhlongo is no stranger to the station’s history. He is a founding figure of Jozi FM and has been closely associated with the broadcaster for decades. Jozi FM has also publicly highlighted his community initiatives, including its school-shoe campaign and “For The Princess” sanitary-towel drive, which have positioned the station as an important community institution in Soweto.
Hans, meanwhile, is not a newcomer to Jozi FM. Historical ICASA records list Collin Hans among members of an interim board elected at a 2011 AGM, while other public references identify him as a presenter and broadcaster associated with the station.
The board says Hans will remain in the acting position until further notice and has indicated that it remains focused on governance, compliance and the successful hosting of an elective AGM on or before 21 September 2026.
For a station that has long played a significant role in Soweto’s media landscape, the latest leadership change represents a major moment. Jozi FM has previously described itself as a community broadcaster built around local development, while its current crisis has increasingly placed its governance, finances and leadership under public and legal scrutiny.
The immediate question now is whether the appointment of an acting CEO will bring stability to the broadcaster or become another flashpoint in the continuing battle over who has the lawful authority to steer Jozi FM.
