Deputy
Minister Essop Pahad
Address:
Budget vote of South African Communication Service (SACS) &
launch of GCIS, National Assembly
18 May 1998
Madame Speaker;
Honourable members.
This day, 18 March 1998,
marks one of the most prominent milestones on the road to a new
South African communications order.
The road we hope to travel
is ripe with promise; it is so full of hope because we are convinced
that our country has a team of communicators who share a common
passion for the profession - individual citizens in the public,
private and community sectors who wish to see our country succeed.
Today, government sets
out on that road as a partner in the communications industry, so
that our society in all its ramifications can truly have the freedom
of speech and the right to be heard.
In my Budget Vote of last
year, I promised that this would be the last time that we discuss
a SACS Budget. I dared to say that in future, this occasion would
be used to reflect on a new structure, the Government Communications
and Information System.
This then will be the
better part of my address to you.
However, it is appropriate
that I briefly reflect on the work that the South African Communications
Service, which closes its books today, has been doing over the past
year.
Through its three programmes
of administration, communications execution and communications support,
this body strove with commendable success in many respects, to render
the services required of it in the transition.
It participated in the
programme of government to manage the transformation of the public
service, to the extent that within a year to December 1997, the
personnel complement of this establishment shifted from being 50%
Black to 66%.
Through its Audiovisual,
Publications and Media Liaison components,
- it rendered assistance
to many departments and RDP Provincial Offices;
- it contributed support
on the occasion of state and other official visits;
- it produced publications
including the South Africa Yearbook and government directories;
- it monitored the media
and helped with advice in support of government campaigns;
- it rendered some service
to the media such as annual parliamentary briefings;
- it also conducted research
and undertook many liaison activities with local organisations
and communities.
SACS was also part of
the liaison among countries of SADC on communications matters.
Though it conducted some
of these activities with excellence, the fact of the matter is that
SACS suffered from problems of a lack of legitimacy; personnel not
trained for the demands of the new democracy; as well as great uncertainty
deriving from the transition. .
I wish to take this opportunity
to thank all the staff at the South African Communications Service
who gave their time, energy and skills despite the difficulties
they were facing. They can rest assured that they have as much opportunity
as anyone else in the profession to become part of the exciting
transformation we are now embarking on.
Honourable Members;
We are proud to report
that the long drawn-out process of assessing government communications
has come to the desired end, with the establishment of the GCIS.
A word of thanks is once
more due here to the eminent persons who formed the Communications
Task Group set up by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, as well as the
Implementation Committee which saw to the operationalisation of
the recommendations.
Over the past few months,
after Cabinet approval of the steps required, the following officials
have taken up their new posts: Joel Netshitenzhe as Chief Executive
Officer; Yakoob Abba Omar as the Deputy CEO; Portia Maurice-Mopp
as Chief Director of Media Liaison and Tony Trew as Chief Director
of Policy and Research.
At the heart of its recommendations,
Comtask identified the following critical principle:
"A new information
system is an economic and political imperative for the information
age. Its purpose must be to provide a network throughout the country
which provides every citizen with the information required to live
and control their lives".
Indeed, Comtask was echoing
the imperative of the Constitution regarding citizens’ freedom
of speech. Without such freedom, without the means to access information
and to communicate their own activities, ideas and opinions, citizens
shall be hapless observers in the process of change. Indeed, the
content of that change and its pace will be severely distorted,
if not totally undermined.
Among other programmes
and activities, the Open Democracy Bill which Cabinet will table
in this august Assembly in the next few weeks, speaks of the commitment
of this government to openness, accountability and transparency.
Government knows too keenly that an informed public is the best
driver of social transformation; it is a sure guarantee to the consolidation
of our democracy; and it is the most effective builder of a better
life.
Madame Speaker;
Guided by the Comtask
report and decisions of Cabinet, the new management of Government
Communications have engaged in a three-fold process:
Firstly, coming to grips
with the competencies in the structures and personnel inherited
from SACS and working out a programme for their transformation.
Secondly, consulting with
their counterparts in the government communications system, a process
which culminated in the Consultative Conference of Government Communicators
some two weeks ago, attended by 140 delegates from the national
and provincial spheres.
Thirdly, and arising from
the above, a set of priorities has been worked out, and the process
of implementing them has started - within the limits of available
human and other material resources.
Allow me then, Honourable
Members, to outline these priorities, on the basis of which we wish
to commend the proposed Budget allocation to Government Communications.
Priority one - Coherent government communications
The GCIS Secretariat has
started to operate, on its way to becoming the strategising body
located in the Presidency on matters of communications, including
policy, planning, research and training.
It has started to service
Cabinet, with its head attending Cabinet meetings for this purpose.
Strategies on particular issues are discussed with relevant principals;
and guidelines on overall communications strategy for the current
phase are being finalised.
Recently completed audits
undertaken by Government Communications provided insight into the
functioning of departmental communications including "adspend"
and resources allocated to research. This will assist in the drive
to restructure these services and effect savings to the fiscus.
In response to their requests, a similar audit is planned in the
provinces.
In the next two months,
the Secretariat intends to work with the provinces to complete a
model for provincial communications structures; and start with regular
meetings of communicators among the ministerial clusters and across
government as a whole so as to ensure coherence and clarity of messages
and programmes.
Priority two - Development communiations
One of the most critical
priorities of Government Communications is development communications.
In this regard, we intend to marry two approaches: first, to ensure
that citizens are adequately informed of their rights and how to
exercise them; and secondly, assisting communities to access information
for socio-economic development in their localities.
This area will stretch
the creative capacity of government communicators to its limit.
It means taking on the
challenges of illiteracy, as well as the needs of the disabled.
It also means working with appropriate bodies to pay requisite attention
to the needs of women and the youth.
Development communication
will require that, from national to local spheres, Government Communications
should strike productive alliances with Non Governmental and Community-Based
Organisations, development forums, traditional leaders and others.
As the capacity of GCIS
improves, proper mechanisms of integration with the work of local
government will be put in place.
Priority three - Effective use of information technology
UNESCO, in its report
of the meeting of the Economic Commission for Africa held in Addis
Ababa in May 1996, pointed out that technological innovations "have
combined with changes facing global and national telecommunication
regimes to present a clear window of opportunity for appropriate
‘leapfrog’ strategies to accelerate the development of
the continent".
South Africa was honoured
some two weeks ago to host a Conference that takes these matters
practically forward. And I am certain Minister Jay Naidoo will have
gone at length last Wednesday explaining the virtues of new communications
technology.
Fully appreciative of
this, Government Communications is working closely with this Department
in the launch of tele-centres, and with community structures in
the development of Multi-purpose Community Centres.
The key input GCIS hopes
to make in this regard is to identify community information needs
and provide as much of that information as possible. At the same
time, the strategic nature of these centres as means through which
citizens can communicate with government will be promoted.
Priority four - Media relations
In line with government
policy, GCIS approaches the media from the premise that they are
partners in communications - with both government and the media
sharing the responsibility to keep the public informed.
We do acknowledge that
the relationship between government and the media needs much improvement.
On its part, government will try and ensure better all-round servicing
of the media; and we expect that our partners in the media industry
will continue, with a new determination, to transform their institutions
to meet the demands of our new democracy.
As the Secretariat employs
new staff, it will steadily introduce some professionalism into
government’s media relations; and act as a servicing arm to
departments in their preparation of campaigns, handling of events,
strategies and so on. We are however aware that better service to
the media in terms of briefings, presentation of information, accessibility
and other tasks will require an input from the media themselves.
Priority five - Media diversity
Over the past week, there
has been healthy debate on the issue of media diversity and the
role of Government Communications in this. As to whether the debate
was informed I will leave to others to judge.
Let me first reiterate
what the Secretariat said to the Standing Committee on Communications
that indeed, as part of the Chief Directorate on Policy and Research,
a Directorate on Policy will be set up to deal with policy matters
including the vexed question of media diversity.
We need to remind ourselves
that the Communications Task Group set up by Deputy President Thabo
Mbeki did make the observation that insufficient progress had been
made regarding media diversity. This, we believe, is acknowledged
across the board.
This is why the Independent
Broadcasting Authority is guided by legislation which prescribes
a three-tier structure of ownership - public, private and community
- and it uses criteria, in granting licenses, which take the issue
of diversity into account.
Diversity includes the
composition of the news-rooms; and this is why the South African
National Editors’ Forum has set up a special committee to look
into this question.
As the Secretariat explained
to the Standing Committee last week, Comtask recommended that the
issue of diversity in the ownership of print media should be dealt
with, firstly, through normal competitions policy regulating all
sectors; and this policy is being finalised by the Department of
Trade and Industry.
Secondly, it proposed
that legislation should be introduced ensuring that distribution
of newspapers and magazines is conducted on a common carrier basis,
a practice which is common in most democracies. And we believe that
the issue of availability of printing resources also needs some
attention.
We need to underline that,
among the most crucial challenges in addressing the issue diversity
of voices, is assistance to small and community media establishments,
both print and electronic. This, as Comtask recommended, will be
done through an independent Media Development Agency, to which,
we believe, both government and commercial media enterprises should
contribute.
It is common cause that
these measures will require clear policy, and some of them will
need specific legislation. This is what the relevant Directorate
will address; and the determination of final policy will be handled
in consultation with all role-players, including community media.
We hope that this issue
will be addressed on the basis of its merits, underpinned by the
need to ensure that all South Africans, not just the rich and the
powerful, not only enjoy the freedom of speech; but do have the
right in actual practice, to be heard.
Priority six - Training and industry-wide relations
As Honourable Members
will appreciate, the above priorities cannot be addressed unless
we improve the competence of government communicators and draw from
the pool of expertise within broader society.
This will be done, firstly
by establishing a small and focussed National Training Board which
will assist in raising the professional capacity among the government
communicators’ corps. The other approach will be the establishment
of a proposed consultative Communicators’ Forum comprising
of individuals from journalism, advertising, academia and other
media disciplines.
Madame Speaker;
These then are the main
priorities as the Government Communications and Information Service
starts operating. Of course these tasks do have their organisational,
operational and financial implications. Let me reiterate some of
them:
Firstly, rationalisation
across government, including the proposals on bulk-buying, will
result in savings for the fiscus.
Secondly, within GCIS
itself, there will be both savings and more expenditure as it starts
to fulfil its mandate. The balance in this regard will emerge in
the next few weeks as the various sections are established and finalise
their programmes.
Our approach will be to
establish the needs on an on-going basis and phase in the new structures
and operations without demanding resources that we cannot utilise.
We will be guided in this regard by the decision of Cabinet that:
"The GCIS will, at the outset, work within the existing budget
approved for SACS. It may, however, as operations get underway,
find it necessary to request a larger budget or additional funds
for specific purposes".
Madame Speaker and Honourable
Members;
The tasks that lie ahead
of Government Communications loom large and daunting. They will
require of the Secretariat, all government communicators including
the political principals, an appreciation of the need to improve
this area of our work with utmost urgency. They will require clear
strategies and programmes based on manageable time frames.
Indeed, our approach will
need to be sober and realistic, recognising the urgency of the tasks
at hand; but appreciating that it will take time to reach our ideals.
The confidence that we
have derives from the fact that South Africans across the spectrum
do appreciate the need that we should speak to one another, not
past each other; and that an informed citizenry is critical for
reconstruction and development, nation-building and reconciliation
to succeed.
Government Communications
is only a small contribution to the broader task at hand.
Together, in the communications
industry, we have it within our power, like Prometheus, at last
to deliver in its full measure, the fire stolen from the Gods, so
that ordinary South Africans should not suffer from darkness.
We intend fully to co-operate
with structures of this House in fulfilling this task.
Deputy
Minister in the Office of the Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad
top
|
