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7 December 2007

Ministers
Deputy Ministers
Directors-General
Members of the Adjudicating Panel
Sponsors
Esteemed guests
Government communicators

We are gathered here, as we did during the past six years, to give special honour and recognition to our hard working government communicators. These communicators that we will be honouring tonight consistently seek better ways of communicating and give more than what is asked of them to ensure that government achieves its communication objectives.

Since the inauguration of the government communicators award scheme in 2002 we have given special honour and recognition to a number of government communicators for their excellent performance. Many of them have moved on to occupy senior positions in the public and private sector institutions.

Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) has published a booklet which contains the names of all the previous winners to refresh our memory and to see where they are now. The work of the previous winners must serve to motivate the current crop of government communicators to achieve the standard that was set and perform even better. We can point many achievements between now and 2002 which show the impact that the Government Communicators Awards scheme had on the work of government communicators.

We have successfully expanded communication platforms by introducing new products and programmes which resulted in many more people, especially those from the rural and underdeveloped areas, accessing government information and being in a position to interact with government. We have succeeded in building partnerships with the people across all spheres of society thereby creating the possibility for the people to work together in pursuit of a shared vision.

The capacity of the nationwide government communication system has been further enhanced by the establishment of the local government communication system. I am informed that this year's awards include a new category of local government communication. Programme director, I am aware that tonight is the night for the achievers without whom we would not be here. But it is necessary that even as we celebrate and honour these high achievers we reflect on some of the challenges that still stare us in our face. Today's government communicators face many challenges in their work which require more creative and innovative ideas to overcome.

One of these challenges is influencing the news agenda in a way that makes information about the programmes of government newsworthy and important to those who set the news agenda.

While government engages in a number of activities to meet its obligation to communicate with the people and enable them to participate in its work, the media offer a very critical platform in this regard. Millions of people consume media and rely on the media for information about many aspects of their lives. The key question for today's government communicators is; are we doing enough to use the media to communicate effectively about the policies and programmes of government and how they impact on the lives of the people?

I am not sure what your answers would be but what I know, and this is supported by research, is that over the past year government's voice in the media has significantly dropped. This means government has not had much influence on the news agenda. I hope that next year when we meet again to recognise our high performers we will be rewarding government communicators who will have found creative and innovative ways to influence the news agenda.

As we celebrate our achievements and recognise the high performers we must not forget the importance of ongoing capacity building and skills development. We have to continue to improve our skills to make ourselves better communicators. Tonight we will also celebrate the achievements of the government communicators who have successfully completed the Professional Certificate in Government Communication and Marketing (PCGCM).

Since its establishment in 2004, the PCGCM has contributed greatly in improving the skills of government communicators. Those who have completed the course have seen a great deal of improvement in their overall capacity and ability to handle challenging situations. I would like to congratulate all successful students. I hope you will apply the skills that you have acquired to improve your work and communicate better.

Programme Director, allow me to express our appreciation to the judges who selflessly gave their time to identify the excellent performers that we are honouring tonight. Amina Frense, Johan Koster, Manana Monareng and Annette Griessel, thank you for your contribution.

I also wish to express our most sincere gratitude to all the sponsors whose generous contribution has made it possible for us to stage this glittering function.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.

Thank you.

Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
7 December 2007