Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Kenny Morolong, has underscored the importance of a coordinated and integrated approach to government communication.
Speaking during an engagement session with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council on the coordination of government communication, nation branding, and community media support in the province, Morolong stressed that synergy is key to ensuring consistent and effective messaging across all spheres of government.
The 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.
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At Wednesday's session, Morolong explained that the policy aims to ensure coherent and coordinated communication across all spheres of government, public entities and government agencies. He further 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,” the Deputy Minister 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 socialised with the Provincial Executive Council, is for support for small commercial and community media,” he said.
He explained that government is encouraged by progress being made in advancing the objectives of the revised policy.
“We are quite encouraged by the progress registered, particularly here in KwaZulu-Natal,” the Deputy Minister said.
Morolong also highlighted the role of Brand South Africa in promoting the country 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 to 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.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli 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,” said the Premier.
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 KwaZulu-Natal engagement formed 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.
The Government Communication Policy can be accessed here: https://www.gcis.gov.za/sites/default/files/Government%20Communication%20Policy_REVISED%20Mar.pdf
– SAnews.gov.za
