Corporate strategy 2009 — 2012

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June 2009

• Overview of GCIS strategic focus over the medium term strategic period
• Vision
• Mission
• Key objectives and strategies
• The programme of action for the medium term strategic plan for the electoral period 2009 – 2014

1. Overview of GCIS strategic focus over the medium term strategic period

1. The GCIS is primarily responsible for providing strategic leadership and coordinating a government communication system that ensures that the public is informed and have access to government programmes and policies that benefit them.
2. In its 10 years of existence, the GCIS, through a national communication framework, continues to ensure that the mandate of government is communicated to the South African population.
3. The GCIS is also expected to build partnerships informed by an encompassing vision around common development objectives. Furthermore, the GCIS leads the international marketing of the country and provides overall guidance, ensuring that the country is marketed abroad, and promotes media diversity through the IMC and the MDDA, respectively.
4. Greater emphasis in the first year of the 2009 – 2012 MTEF and Medium Term Strategic Framework 2009-2014 will be on providing communication on mandated targets for the fulfilment of the millennium development goals, as expressed in the mandate of the new administration.
5. In the short term, GCIS will lead and anchor communication on the preparation of the 2010 World Cup, a prestigious tournament that will leave a lasting legacy in our country. Communication priorities are be informed by the Medium Term Strategic Framework derived from the electoral mandate of the new government administration, which will constitute the bases for the PoA.
6. The priorities for communication are be outlined in the PoA. These include continuing to build an economy that creates jobs, addressing the education challenges and focusing on rural development and sustainable livelihoods.
7. More attention will be paid to building communication partnerships to promote a better life – understood, witnessed, believed and lived by all South Africans.
8. In support of the Government’s international relations objectives, GCIS provides strategic guidance to its sub-agency, Brand South Africa, to ensure that the international marketing of South Africa is aligned to government’s vision for the country.
9. The GCIS oversees the mandate of the MDDA to develop and transform media diversity.

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2. Vision

“Government communication that empowers and encourages citizens to participate in democracy and improve the lives of all.”

3. Mission

Lead the strategic communication of government, ensure coherence of message and open and extend channels of communication between government and the people, towards a shared vision.

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4. Key objectives and strategies

These key objectives will be driven through the outlined strategies:

4.1 Provide strategic leadership in government communication

1. Develop a National Strategic Communication Framework that will inform and drive communication priorities linked with the electoral mandate and based on the Medium Term Strategic Framework.
2. Provide strategic leadership in the development of effective departmental and provincial communication strategies that are aligned to the National Strategic Communication Framework and driven by the priorities of government’s PoA.
3. Develop a five-year core message for all government nodal issues for communication of key government programmes.
4. Review policy guidelines for the government-wide communication system and support departments’ communication units.

4.2 Strengthen the government-wide communication system for effectiveness and proper alignment

1. Enhance existing coordinating forums by using them, for among other things, as strategic planning forums.
2. Induct and guide the establishment of communication units across all departments.
3. Develop and implement a training programme to address the skills of government communicators.
4. Pay increased attention to the development of communication systems in the third sphere of government.

4.3 Continuously communicate and inform the public on the policies and programmes of government to improve their lives.

1. Effective use of research to improve communication focus and understand the communication needs of the public.
2. Develop and effectively utilise government communication products and services to better meet government and public information needs.
3. Promote a development communication approach to ensure that people use information to improve their lives
4. Encourage participatory democracy to ensure interaction with the people for them to take advantage of government programmes and policies.

4.4 Learn and explore communication methods and practices to enhance communication

1. Conduct communication research and surveys to assess the communication needs, understand the communication landscape; explore new platforms for communication and the impact of communication products and services in terms of access and reach; and conduct audience needs analysis.
2. Promote new media.
3. Subscribe to external research.
4. Promote a learning organisation by developing an integrated knowledge and information management system.

4.5 Lead and guide the domestic and international marketing of South Africa

1. Guide Brand South Africa in the development of the country brand in line with the Government’s vision.
   
2. Mobilise government in support of the country’s marketing initiative.
   
3. Build consensus among key stakeholders in support of the country’s marketing initiative.

4.6 Build partnerships with strategic stakeholders in pursuit of GCIS’ vision

1. Build and sustain networks and strategic partnerships to enhance and support effective communication of government policies and programmes.
   
2. Support the implementation of government-wide access to information.
   
3. Encourage the transformation and diversity of media in South Africa.
   
4. Build relations with the media to effectively communicate government messages.

4.7 Ensure the optimal functioning of GCIS through integrating and aligning organisational processes and systems

1. Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and Cabinet directives.
   
2. Develop and implement a Human Resource (HR) Strategy to realise the mandate of GCIS.
   
3. Implement a focused project management discipline and adhere to best practices for internal and government-wide campaigns and projects.
   
4. Ensure implementation of effective strategic business planning and performance monitoring, in line with Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), requirements.
   
5. Ensure effective and efficient use of information and communications technologies (ICTs).
   
6. Provide an efficient and effective oversight role to the public entities.

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5. The programme of action for the medium term strategic plan for the electoral period 2009 – 2014

5.1 Economic Cluster

Economic development

• Promote Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment  and Affirmative Action policies by using procurement of  licensing and financial support to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• A single integrated business registration system to create an enabling environment for investment.
• Improve customer service and reduce the cost of doing business in South Africa.
• Economic intervention framework: Industrial Development Corporation to develop a programme to fund companies in distress and a scaled up Industrial Policy Action Plan will be developed.
• Reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses.

Infrastructure development

• As part of Phase Two of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Community Work Programme is to create about four million job opportunities by 2014 with about 500 000 job opportunities created between June and December 2009.
• Ensure that the envisaged R787 billion infrastructure expenditure in the Budget is properly planned for and used.
• Implement the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and address the challenges.
• Roll out digital broadcasting infrastructure and signal distribution transmitters and reduce the cost of telecommunications to expend broadband capacity.

5.2 Governance and Administration Cluster

• Strengthen the capacity of the state; speed up implementation of a single public service.
• Implement a Batho Pele ethos for front-counter staff.
• Establish public-liaison capacity in The Presidency, including hotline access.
• Launch the National Youth Development Agency.

5.3    Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster

• Combat crimes against women and children.
• Enhance detective, forensic and intelligence services.
• Reduce serious and violent crimes by the set target of 7% to 10% per year.
• Increase the number of police officers and intensify efforts against cyber crime and identity theft.
• Set up a Border Management Agency.
• Combat corruption and fraud in procurement and tender processes, application for drivers’ licences, social grants, IDs, and theft of police case dockets.
• Active community policing forums.

Justice and constitutional development

• Establish a transformed, integrated, modernised, properly-resourced and well-managed criminal justice system.
• Improve the efficiency of the courts and the performance of prosecutors.
• Increase the number of prosecutors and Legal Aid Board personnel.
• Improve systems in jails to reduce repeat offending.

5.4 Social Cluster

Social security and community development

• Provide suitably located and affordable housing and decent human settlements.
• Work with Parliament to speed up the processing of the Land Use Management Bill.
• Ensure comprehensive strategy linked to land and agrarian reform and food security.
• Work on the targeted renewal of rural towns, through grants such as the Neighbourhood Development Grant programme.

Human capital development

• Education
  • Step up the Early Childhood Development programme to ensure universal access to Grade R and doubling the number of 0 to 4-year old children by 2014.
  • Intensify the Adult Basic Education and Training Kha ri Gude programme to promote lifelong learning.
  • The Further Education and Training sector will be primary sites for skills development and training nationally.
  • Improve access to Higher Education of children from poor families and ensure a sustainable funding structure for universities.

• Health sector
  
  • Intensify implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Treatment, Management and Care of HIV and AIDS to reduce the rate of new HIV infections.
  • Introduce a National Health Insurance scheme in a phased and incremental manner.
  • Promote quality healthcare, in line with the United Nations (UN) millennium development goals, to halve poverty by 2014.
• Social services
  • Transformation will be undertaken in support of women, youth and people with disabilities.
  • Provide affordable housing and decent human settlements and transform cities and towns and build cohesive, sustainable and caring communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities.

5.5 International Relations Cluster

Enhancing foreign relations

• Strengthen South-South relations. 
• Enhance relations with the developed North, including the G8 and European Union.
• Play a role in the conclusion of the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Development round of negotiations.

Africa

• Pursue African advancement and enhanced international cooperation. 
• Continue to strengthen the African Union (AU) and its structures and give special focus to the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
• Support the peace efforts of the AU and the UN on the African continent, including in the Saharawi Arab Republic and Darfur in Sudan. 
• Promote inclusive government until free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe as chair of Southern African Development Community (SADC).
• Support efforts of the SADC region to resolve the situation in Madagascar.
• Strengthen regional integration and improve the political and economic integration on of SADC, towards the AU goal of a Union government.
• Establish a South African Development Partnership Agency to promote developmental partnerships with other countries on the continent.
• Support the sustainable settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution.

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