Government is stepping up efforts to transform the way it communicates with South Africans, with a revised communication policy placing greater emphasis on coordinated messaging, adequate funding for communication and increased support for small commercial and community media.
The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and Brand South Africa have undertaken a series of engagements with provinces and other stakeholders to build support for the revised Government Communication Policy.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong said the policy is aimed at ensuring coherent and coordinated communication across all spheres of government, public entities and government agencies.
Speaking in KwaZulu-Natal during an engagement with the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council on Wednesday, Morolong highlighted the allocation of between three and five percent of government budgets towards communication as one of the key provisions of the revised policy.“We have agreed that communication can no longer be an afterthought. It is an important function that must be enhanced through funding,” Morolong said.
He said the policy also places a strong focus on supporting small commercial and community media, with government expected to set aside 30% of its advertising spend for these media outlets.“[The] second part of the Government Communication Policy which we socialise with the provincial executive council is for support for small commercial and community media,” he said.
Morolong said government was encouraged by the progress being made in KwaZulu-Natal in advancing the objectives of the revised policy.“We are quite encouraged by the progress registered, particularly here in KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
The Deputy Minister also highlighted the role of Brand South Africa in promoting the country both domestically and internationally. He said discussions with the province had identified opportunities for greater collaboration, particularly in promoting KwaZulu-Natal as an economic destination.“We have identified areas of collaboration, particularly in respect of promoting the province from an economic point of view. These discussions will continue between the province and our entities as we believe that there will be areas of collaboration that will be identified,” Morolong said.
The Mayor of the City of eThekwini said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the revised Government Communication Policy and the importance of strengthening coordination within government.“It is important to note how things are done successfully. The Deputy Minister’s engagements are to ensure coherence within government,” he said.
The KwaZulu-Natal engagement forms part of government’s ongoing communication policy advocacy programme aimed at strengthening a coordinated and integrated government communication system across all spheres of government.
The engagement follows similar sessions held in the North West, Free State and, most recently, Mpumalanga, as part of a nationwide rollout.The programme seeks to strengthen communication planning, promote a cohesive national narrative, expand support for community media and advance South Africa’s nation-branding objectives.
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