Pretoria – Communications Minister Faith Muthambi says one of the biggest challenges facing government is in the area of communication.
“It is important for all of us to understand that communication is in itself service delivery. To communicate is to deliver a service. If our people are not sufficiently informed about how their tax monies are spent, it should not come as a surprise when from time to time we get various protests,” said Minister Muthambi.
She said the people-centred orientation that government has adopted in relation to service delivery calls for additional skills and expertise, including the branding capability of a range of government services.
The Minister was speaking at the graduation ceremony for students of the Wits School of Governance on Thursday.
Minister Muthambi said government is operating in a complex environment which has both local and international variations that require appropriate communication expertise.
“We need to know how to communicate, which information and be mindful of the audience we are communicating to.”
The Minister expected that the programme has prepared the students to be able to interface with various communication platforms and the ability to customise messages for specific target markets.
“It is important for all of you to understand and appreciate that you now carry a big responsibility of being ambassadors not only of government but of the Wits School of Governance. You must carry these brands with pride and inspire confidence to all those you will be interacting with.”
She added that Bidvest has committed to accommodate the top five graduates from the programme into the Bidvest Group of companies.
They will be placed in businesses across the group for a period of six weeks to gain experience and exposure to the various operational and leadership aspects of the business. – SAnews.gov.za
