Minister
Essop Pahad
Opening address: GCIS budget vote, National Assembly
15
May 2003
Madame Speaker
Honourable Members
Five years ago,
with its first budget debate in this National Assembly, the Government
Communication and Information System (GCIS) was launched. Its task
was to become the communication agency of a government leading a
society undergoing reconstruction and development.
Its task was
the antithesis of what had been known as 'information' in the apartheid
era. It was proactive instead of defensive; economical rather than
spendthrift; soundly accountable instead of corrupt; transparent
instead of secretive. It was a totally new era in information, in
line with the democratic norms accepted by the nation in 1994, building
on the first moves out of the Information morass immediately following
our new order
Five years later
it is instructive to look back to the vision that informed the setting
up of GCIS, so that we can measure what progress has been made and
what challenges remain. That vision was embodied in the report of
the Communications Task Team (Comtask) which completed its work
in 1996.
The directions
Comtask mapped out and the values it proclaimed are still our guide.
Among the matters that Comtask recommended for urgent implementation
were the setting up of a Media Diversity and Development Agency
(MDDA) and a strategy for integrated international marketing.
Although it
took longer than initially envisaged, the fact that these two agencies
now exist and are working to promote communication objectives of
reconstruction and development can be counted as a major achievement
and a cause for pride. They are significant milestones in our march
to a healthy and effective information system in a democratic order.
It is a great
pleasure that the first Chairperson of the Board of the MDDA, Khanyi
Mkonza, is present with us today.
The vision that
must guide us in assessing what has been done and in measuring the
challenges that remain, is that of a nation of informed citizens
actively participating in improving their lives and the well-being
of their society; of a society in which the rights of freedom of
information and expression are enjoyed concretely by all; of a country
which has the informed respect of the peoples of the world.
That vision
translates into strategic priorities for government's communication
agency:
- Ensuring
effective government communication that empowers citizens to become
agents of change;
- Helping democratise
the communications environment, broadening access to the means
of acquiring and imparting information and ideas; and
- Improving
South Africa's image in the world
Madame Speaker,
Addressing our
legacy of imbalances in access to the means of communication is
a complex and intricate process.
Amongst these
is the transformation of the marketing and advertising industry.
GCIS, together with the Department of Communications and the Department
of Trade and Industry, took up the challenge which the Parliamentary
Portfolio Committee on Communications issued to government and the
private sector to work together to bring about change in an industry
which has a critical role not only in helping citizens engage with
the market place, but also in shaping our conception of ourselves
as a society.
The three departments
have finalised a report which will serve before Cabinet with proposals
for the development, in consultation with the industry, of a framework
for transformation in line with Government's strategy for broad-based
empowerment.
Recently, representatives
of industry bodies and government together took part in a ceremony
for the signing of a Values Statement expressing the joint commitment
to the achievement of a marketing, advertising and communications
industry reflective of our democratic society.
A process that
began amidst considerable mistrust and fragmentation has achieved
a remarkable degree of consensus on the direction and pace of change
needed. Preparations are under way for a mid-year plenary meeting
to review progress and set benchmarks.
Exactly one
year and one day ago this House adopted the Media Development and
Diversity Agency Bill, as "one small but significant contribution
to the task of translating the aspiration of freedom of expression
into actuality".
The President
appointed the MDDA Board in December, after work had been done to
consolidate the funding commitments by the media owners, some of
which have shown exemplary support.
Since its first
meeting in January the Board has moved in a purposeful way, and
set itself a timetable which will put it in a position to invite
applications for support by August. It will therefore begin providing
support to community and small commercial media projects by the
end of this year.
GCIS has given
all the support required by the MDDA, especially the kind of practical
administrative support that is critical in the initial start-up
phase. Both the R3 million set aside for the MDDA in the GCIS budget
for last year and the R7 million for this financial year have been
transferred to the MDDA.
GCIS is also
facilitating MDDA interaction with other government departments
- in particular the Department for Communication - and parastatal
agencies, so that it can draw practical support from their relevant
programmes.
Compared with
the start up of similar agencies, I believe the MDDA is moving with
commendable speed under the guidance of its Chairperson, reflecting
the commitment of the Board and stakeholders to meeting the imperatives
of media development and diversity in South Africa. This diversity
is cardinal to our success as a democratic society in which the
people are empowered to make their own decisions on matters of the
day.
Honourable Members,
The establishment
of the MDDA, and the process towards the transformation of the marketing
and advertising industry are pointers to progress in implementing
strategic priorities identified by Comtask. In the first nine years
of our freedom - and the five since GCIS was established - the tide
has turned.
The scene has
been set for significant further improvements in ensuring that our
attributes as a country are appreciated in full measure.
Honourable Members
will by now be aware of the start of the International Marketing
Council's Brand South Africa campaign. The Chief Executive Officer
of the International Marketing Council (IMC), Yvonne Johnston recently
briefed the Portfolio Committee on Communications on this campaign.
The IMC is itself another good example of state-private co-operation.
As with all that we strive for, we start from the premise that effective
and lasting achievement of national objectives is possible only
when we unite in action. Therefore the work to improve our country's
image in the eyes of others begins with doing whatever we can as
South Africans to live the hope and refreshing possibilities that
our country offers to the rest of the world.
The period of
comprehensive and thorough planning has come to an end. As the campaign
begins to roll out it is attracting support by the week from individuals
and organisations that seek to add their voice to the message that
ours is a country alive with possibility. As it gathers strength
we will no doubt be hearing less and less from those South Africans
who feel compelled to present our country in a negative light, unlike
the tourists who come in increasing numbers; the ratings agencies
that upgrade their assessment of our economy virtually every year;
and the investors eager to buy our eurobonds and set up shop in
South Africa.
GCIS has also
begun more systematically to develop relations with our counterparts
in Southern Africa - in particular assisting the governments of
Mozambique and Tanzania in initiatives to strengthen their communication
capacity, while learning from their considerable experiences. The
department also works with the Department of Foreign Affairs on
various initiatives relating to the African Union (AU), New Partnership
for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Southern African Development
Community (SADC).
Madame Speaker,
The most critical
challenge which Comtask posed for the creation of a new government
communications and information system was to strengthen the capability
of government to communicate its policies to the people. Two obstacles
stood in the way - lack of co-ordination and focus in government
communication; and a legacy of severe imbalances in access to information.
Government and
the people are being brought closer together in a number of ways.
The rollout
of 60 Multi-purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) to each district in
the country is now more than halfway done - 37 are operational.
It is quite clear that these one-stop centres for government information
and services are making an enormous impact on the lives of those
they serve, mainly people who previously had little or no access
to government services. For such people the cost of transport even
to do something as simple as getting a form to register a child's
birth was prohibitive.
For the next
phase we should hope to work towards having an MPCC with a one-stop
government centre in every municipality.
How to achieve
this is something that is being worked on by the Inter-ministerial
Task Team on Integrated Service Delivery. We are also convinced
that this is an initiative which can benefit from the participation
of our social partners, and we will be taking it to the Growth and
Development Summit for discussion.
A taste of things
to come will be seen in the launch of the first phase of the Batho
Pele Gateway project of the Department of Public Service and
Administration in the coming months. Six of the initial entry points
to the government Batho Pele Gateway will be located in MPCCs.
That includes the Tombo MPCC in the Eastern Cape, the first MPCC
to be launched in 1999/2000.
Direct interaction
between the executive, in all spheres, and the public has been increased
by the rapid growth of the Imbizo programme since it was
initiated by the President in Limpopo Province in April 2001. Public
enthusiasm for the opportunity to interact directly with the executive
has seen the National Imbizo Focus Weeks expand from 170
events in October 2001, to 300 in April 2002, 320 in November 2002
and over 350 in April 2003.
If one adds
to this the Imbizo visits to Provinces by the President and
Deputy President and the almost continuous outreach programmes of
the provincial executives, it is clear that izimbizo are
becoming central to government communication and an essential feature
of the participatory democracy taking root in our country.
To cope with
the challenge of processing concerns that are not immediately dealt
with as they are raised, GCIS is developing an information management
system to improve follow-up and feedback.
On the other
hand, the direct interaction of the executive and the public through
Imbizo is already making an impact on governance. This affects both
the detail of implementation and the direction of policy itself.
For example,
the experience of Imbizo helped shape various important initiatives,
to cite just some examples: to introduce an echelon of community
development workers into the public service; to speed up the programme
for the improvement of rural roads; to the "Know your rights"
campaign on water services by the Minister of Water Affairs; and
to the decision to introduce Public Works programmes in the Bekkersdal
area in Gauteng.
Also part of
the effort to provide all South Africans with access to information
about their government has been the shift towards media and modes
of communication which research shows to be more effective in reaching
wider sections of the population.
For example
looking at the wave of publicity following the President's State
of the Nation Address, whereas in 2002 newspaper advertisements
absorbed 70 per cent of the cost, this was 32 per cent in 2003 -
the media used has shifted towards radio and other forms of direct
distribution. Part of the shift was a live link up with 48 community
radio stations for the President's address; live broadcasts through
the "Big Screen" programme to 58 community-based imbizo
events at MPCCs and other satellite points. In consultation with
organisations representing people with disabilities, information
about the programme of action is being disseminated in braille and
on tape.
Parallel to
these efforts to extend access to government information has been
attention to the other side of the coin highlighted by Comtask -
more co-ordination and focus in government communication.
This has been
pursued by consolidation of the integrated government-wide system
of communicators who are clustered to match the clustering of government.
Steps are also
being taken to enhance communication capacity in the local sphere
of government, following the first-ever conference of local government
communicators hosted by South African Local Government Association
in June 2002 with the assistance of GCIS.
Strategic guidance
of government communication by Cabinet has been strengthened in
two ways.
The first is
more active oversight by Cabinet Committees of the implementation
of cluster communication strategies as part of their general oversight
of the work of clusters. The second is the continuation of Cabinet's
discussion of current issues also from a communications perspective,
a practice whose introduction I noted during last year's debate
on the GCIS budget vote. The positions adopted by Cabinet on all
matters of public interest are communicated not only through the
regular statements issued and briefings given after each Cabinet
meeting but also disseminated by GCIS more widely through Bua
Briefs to opinion-makers in the private sector.
Honourable members;
Though there
is still a long way to go, clear progress has been made.
At the heart
of all the communication campaigns have been the themes of partnership
and shared responsibility - letsema and vuk'uzenzele
- in order to build on the progress made as a foundation for accelerated
implementation.
Trends in public
opinion compared to previous years suggest that such communication
is consistent with the public mood. In turn this matches the evidence
of the impact that government programmes are making on the lives
of South Africans.
As such, the
empty vessels who make noise about our people being worse off now
than under apartheid serve not only to expose their ignorance, but
also their disgraceful yearning for a past that shall never return.
That, we should remember, was a time when the majority of the population
were locked out of every significant aspect of South African life.
Since the SANEF/Cabinet
Indaba two years ago much has been done to develop the relationship
between media and government in ways that should lead to a better
understanding of government policies and programmes. No doubt the
recent establishment of the Presidential Press Corps will make a
further contribution in that direction. Already, numbers of briefings
have been held which have helped to throw light on important issues
and strengthen communication between Presidency and media.
Honourable Members;
This has been
a brief overview of work that has been done by GCIS over the past
five years, and the past year in particular, to achieve the strategic
priorities it was assigned by Cabinet in the light of the Comtask
report.
In doing this
work GCIS made use of the public funds appropriated for that purpose
by this House. Taking into account R1,6m funds already committed
during the financial year which the National Treasury has been requested
to roll over, GCIS effectively used all its allocated funds. Should
National Treasury not approve the roll over request, GCIS would
have spent 99% of its funds.
The budget for
the financial year 2002/03 was R153,7 million (including allocations
to the IMC and MDDA), rising to R176 million in 2003/04. That compares
with R60,2 million for the first year in 1998/99. For this increase,
reflecting the fact that GCIS has been entrusted with additional
functions, we should thank the National Assembly.
What has been
achieved during these past five years to improve the communication
environment; to improve South Africa's international image; to strengthen
government communication and to broaden access to government information
has played a part - small no doubt but significant - in contributing
to the general progress in the lives of millions of South Africans
that reflects the fact that indeed the tide has turned. This is
increasingly being recognised by informed opinion locally and abroad.
With the funds
allocated for the year 2003/2004 GCIS intends to build on the progress
made towards the realisation of the vision of a society of informed
citizens who were their own liberators and are now actively engaged
in changing their lives for the better - building a people's contract
for a better South Africa.
In this achievement,
Parliament, and in particular the Portfolio Committee on Communications,
has been an invaluable partner and guide, and I should like to commend
the deft and dedicated way its chairperson, the Hon Nat Kekana,
has conducted himself, sometimes in difficult circumstances and
amid heavy attacks from certain quarters, now that he is moving
on to new pastures. We wish him well as he deploys his considerable
skills, though still in the cause of communication.
Lastly, I should
like to place on record my thanks to GCIS for work so well done,
and particularly to the CEO, Mr Joel Netshitenzhe, for his indefatigable
efforts.
I take this
opportunity to commend the GCIS budget to the House. I do so by
noting the remark by Bacon that "knowledge is power",
and adding the thought that "democratic power is knowledge".
Issued by
Government Communications (GCIS)
16 May 2003
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