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Government and communication
The vision of the Government Communication and
Information System is to help meet the communication
and information needs of government and
the people to ensure a better life for all.
It consists of the following chief directorates:
- The Communication Service Agency aims to
provide core communication services to
Government Communications and other
government departments, both in-house and
through outsourcing. It also produces the South
Africa Yearbook and Pocket Guide to South
Africa.
- Government and Media Liaison aims to coordinate
effective, integrated and comprehensive
communication and media liaison services
across government. It is also responsible for
BuaNews, a government news service.
- Policy and Research conducts communication
research to provide communication advice and
monitors the development and implementation
of government programmes from a communication
perspective.
- Provincial and Local Liaison supports
development communication and extends
government’s information infrastructure through partnerships with provincial and local
government. It facilitates the establishment of
Thusong Service Centres (former multipurpose
community centres) to make services and
information more accessible to the public,
particularly the disadvantaged.
- Corporate Services provides financial
management, administrative services, and
human-resource (HR) administration and
development. The Project Desk implements
project management and co-ordinates services
to cross-cutting projects driven by Government
Communications, on behalf of other
departments.
- Vuk’uzenzele, which is published bimonthly,
focuses on economic and other opportunities
created by South Africa’s democracy.
The chief executive officer of Government
Communications is the official spokesperson for
government.
Government Communications is central to
developing communication strategies and programmes
for government’s transversal campaigns.
It also assists departments with specific
campaigns and events, as well as in developing
departmental communication structures.
Government Communications is responsible for
maintaining the website, Government Online
(www.gov.za), which includes an information portal
for general information about government, and a
services portal, which is a source of information
about all the services rendered by national
government.
Government Communications leads or is
involved in various communication partnerships
and joint processes, including the following:
- An intersectoral programme to set up Thusong
Service Centres, providing information about
how to access government services. By October
2007, 96 Thusong Service Centres were in place
and more centres were being established. A
strategy for setting up one Thusong Service
Centre in each of the country’s municipalities by
2014 has been approved.
- The transformation of the advertising and
marketing industry.
- The Academy of Government Communication
and Marketing, in collaboration with the
University of the Witwatersrand School of Public
and Development Management, Unilever and the
Mandela-Rhodes Foundation.
- The Imbizo Campaign of direct interaction
between government and the public.
The following entities report to Government
Communications:
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International Marketing Council
The IMC was established in 2000 to create a positive
and united image for South Africa, and to give the
country a strategic advantage in an increasingly
competitive marketplace. Its mission is to:
- articulate a brand for South Africa, which
positions the country to attract tourism, trade
and investment
- realise international-relations objectives
- establish an integrated approach within
government and the private sector towards the
international marketing of South Africa
- build national support for Brand South Africa.
The IMC’s main objective is the marketing of South
Africa through the Brand South Africa Campaign.
The IMC has succeeded in changing perceptions
by hosting branding and investment missions in
important markets overseas, in partnership with the
Department of Trade and Industry. This partnership
will focus on profiling key economic sectors of
South Africa’s flourishing economy in markets that
are relevant to their investment needs. The IMC’s
role in the exercise is primarily that of ensuring
common and consistent messaging and ensuring a
consistent look-and-feel during interactions with
people abroad.
In 2007, the IMC launched a new television
commercial to boost the growing confidence
among South Africans about the future. Known as
the “We’ve done it before” Campaign, it was built
on the premise that South Africans continue to defy
all odds. This campaign follows the successful and
inspirational “Rhythm of the Nation” and “Today I
Woke Up” advertising campaigns.
Other tools applied by the IMC to facilitate the
enhancement of national pride include:
- The Communication Resource Centre, which is a
state-of-the-art facility monitoring media
coverage on South Africa anywhere in the world.
Government communicators use the centre in
formulating messaging concerning various
issues relating to South Africa that are covered
internationally.
- The Information Resource Centre, which collects,
collates and makes accessible a vast spectrum
of positive information about South Africa.
- The web portal www.southafrica.info, which is the
official national gateway to the country for
national and international Internet users, realising
over 2,2 million page views a month, and
containing over 25 000 pages of information.
- The South African Story II, which is the second
version of the IMC booklet filled with facts,
quotes and anecdotes that illustrate the
extraordinary South African story and current
challenges facing the country.
- The Brand Champion Programme, through which
highly skilled professionals are tasked with
positioning the brand among South Africans and
weaving the values of the brand into the fabric of
society. The Brand Champion Team engages
organisations, corporates and individuals
through workshops to ensure that everybody
who is well positioned to interface with tourists,
investors and traders is armed with an
understanding of the Brand South Africa values,
and is also an ambassador of the brand.
- The Alive with Possibility newsletter, which is a
weekly online communication tool showcasing
positive stories coming out of South Africa.
- The Boundless Opportunities newsletter, which is
produced in partnership with the JSE Securities
Exchange Limited (JSE), targets stakeholders of
the JSE, including all international exchanges.
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Last modified: 20 May 2008 15:02:56.
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