JOHANNESBURG, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on Wednesday condemned the attack and damage to radio stations by protestors.

The GCIS said the stations which were attacked are Alex FM, Westside FM, Mamelodi FM and Intokozo FM.

"We are sad to hear of more damages that have been caused to community radio property. GCIS understands that some of these stations have now been taken off air, which is very unfortunate considering the role that community radio stations play in forging social change and uplifting communities," said GCIS Acting Director-General Michael Currin.

"The media at large plays a crucial role to the economic and political development of citizens and it creates a broad range of information to stimulate citizens on the various developmental issues in their country. The media is one of the pillars of our democracy and it remains an integral part of human civilization, and community media serves as a viable platform for the public to participate in the democratic process by expressing their views and opinions," he said.

He called on people to unite, remain calm, exercising restraint, and resist any attempts to incite violence, create panic, or fuel divisions.

According to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), 113 network towers were vandalized during the violence.

"We call on the communities to assist in guarding and protecting this critical infrastructure, and to exercise the highest levels of patriotism in this regard. Any disruption of communication services could prove disastrous and result in increased mortality as emergency calls may be directly impacted," said ICASA Chairperson Keabetswe Modimoeng.

He said ICASA has written to the National Joints Operations and Intelligence Services to prioritize the protection of the critical telecommunications infrastructure. Enditem

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