Government Communication and Information System: briefing

Meeting report

COMMUNICATIONS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
7 March 2000
GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (GCIS)

 

1. MTEF ALLOCATIONS: 2000 - 2003
   Year	1999/2000	2000/2001	2001/2002	2002/2003
   Budget	R47 279 000	R60 687 000	R64 312 000	R69 675 000

   IV. Leadership of government communication

    

2. A critical element in the mandate of GCIS to lead government communication is ensuring that all sectors of national government operate within the framework of an integrated communication strategy. During the course of last year, such a strategy was developed and adopted by Cabinet after the elections in July. One of the greatest achievements in this period has been to ensure a common methodology across departments and among provinces. This was attained through the Government Communication Forum (GCF), a conference including Provincial representatives and workshops. As a result, the majority of departments and agencies (21) developed their subsidiary strategies.
3. In so far as implementation is concerned, success has been registered in those areas where there was active leadership by Ministers and Directors-General. This is impacted upon by the extent to which there has been restructuring in line with decisions of Cabinet. A number of departments (18) have either done so or are paying serious attention to the matter. This does not necessarily entail appointment of Chief Directors to head the communication sections; but it means qualitative improvement in strategic communication planning, access to the Minister, integration between Department and Ministry and so on.
4. Last week, Cabinet adopted a communication strategy for the Year 2000. Under the theme, "A nation at work for a better life - Dawn of the African Century", the strategy is based on the President's State of the Nation Address as well as other elements of the government's programme for the year. A major focus of the strategy is mobilisation of the people to work with government to improve their conditions. In the next ten days, the GCF will process subsidiary strategies for clusters and departments. Cabinet also underlined the need to ensure that all departmental communication structures are on an operational footing.
5. The GCF is a critical forum to ensure integration of government communication. While its frequency has been reduced, clusters of communicators in line with new Cabinet Committees also play an important role to ensure such integration. Communicators are represented on the clusters of Directors-General, to take part in policy processes as they evolve. Regular meetings are held with Heads of Provincial Government communications.
6. During the course of last year, there has been greater appreciation within government of the value that GCIS adds to government operations. GCIS has taken part in communication planning for all major campaigns, including AIDS/HIV, Presidential inauguration, Voter Education, taking forward Jobs Summit decisions, Y2K awareness, Investment/Arms Procurement package, African Renaissance, organisation and framework of the content of February Ministerial Parliamentary briefings to Parliament and so on. One major development in this area has been the adoption of an international communication approach by Cabinet - referred to later.
7. Progress has been made in setting up national training infrastructure for communicators. This has included the establishment of a standards-generating body under the auspices of SAQA, and a quality-assurance body which has met several times to assess content of courses. A database of service providers is now available on the GCIS website; a national skills audit has been conducted in all three spheres; and courses have been run at various levels. Communication lines have been opened with SA Management Development Institute (SAMDI) to incorporate some of the GCIS initiatives into the SAMDI programme. Contact has been maintained with international agencies and individual countries for co-operation in this regard.

   V. Development communication

8. On the basis of the research conducted by GCIS into information needs, a process is underway to develop a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the appropriate information for use by citizens. The research has identified "personal utility information" as the most sought after, such as bursary facilities and job opportunities. This requires co-ordination among various departments both in the determination of these questions and in working out responses. Further, GCIS has improved its servicing of community radio stations, and relations with SABC radio services have improved.
9. An instance of using various forms to reach out to the majority of South Africans is the multi-media popularisation of the government's programme for the year. In addition to usage of the web for instant text and live visual and audio access to the President's State of the Nation Address, GCIS this year ensured live broadcast over 20 community radio stations; a summary of the State of the Nation Address was provided in a number of newspapers; 4-million leaflets in all official languages will be distributed through GICs and Post Offices; 1-million booklets, including question and answer summaries will be distributed through these and other channels; public service announcements will also be made dealing briefly with content and "pick-up points". Research has indicated that citizens value personal direct contact with the leadership. Thus part of the strategy will be the intensification of visits by Ministers and others to communities where services are being rendered.
10. A major highlight for the next two years is the establishment of Government Information Centres that are part of One-Stop Government Centres and Multi-Purpose Community Centres. Cabinet agreed last December that there should be one such Centre per district. This will mean establishing 46 new ones in addition to the existing 9 GCIS offices. One centre was launched in Tombo (EC) in December and two will be launched in March in the Northern Province and the Western Cape. The intention is to complete the programme by 2002. Training of officers is an important part of the programme.

    VI. Media relations and international promotion

11. GCIS has continued to service Cabinet with regard to communication of its decisions, and ensuring follow-up by the relevant departments. In consultation with the media, February Parliamentary briefings by Ministers are continually being refined, among others, to reflect integrated approach to the development and implementation of government programmes. Among the major projects last year were the Presidential Inauguration, support to state visits and the introduction of the institution of "press breakfasts" for background briefings. At the same time, GCIS has served as a critical centre to assist in the processing of media requests and planning with the President's Office regarding major initiatives. GCIS has also provided technical services and strategic advice to the political principals.
12. We have started a relationship with the Independent Newspaper Group for GCIS and government to run a monthly column (Letter from Tshwane) conversing with the public around major issues facing the country. This does not supplant relations with other media houses, including through articles from government.
13. Last December Cabinet adopted a broad framework of a strategy for international promotion of the country, which is meant to integrate the work done at various levels within and outside of government. This was preceded by research which established that there was goodwill across the board towards SA; but that the country was under-marketed. An International Marketing Council is to be set up, chaired by the Foreign Minister and made up of relevant DG's and representatives of public and private bodies dealing with the international community. A Project Manager will be appointed in the next few days.
14. What has clearly emerged from this research is that success in international imaging and promotion will depend first and foremost on the attitude of South Africans towards their own country as well as visible programmes to address a number of problem areas in South Africa's social fabric. In this regard, we believe that the Portfolio Committee on Communication has a central role to play in ensuring debate among South Africans on the development of a unique brand of the country, as well as the efforts required to build a positive national self-image that should characterise South Africans' interaction with the world. GCIS intends to come back to the Committee with a detailed briefing on this matter.

    VII. Other major projects

15. GCIS is completing research on the public awareness campaign around HIV/AIDS to develop further communication campaigns. This will lay the basis for a new drive under the aegis of the National AIDS Council.
16. In the next few weeks, Cabinet will complete the process of developing a new Coat of Arms for the country. Tied to this will be a campaign to take Batho Pele to new heights, as part of the corporate imaging of government.
17. Upgrading of communication technology and its wider usage form part of the GCIS' core functions. This includes Government Online, the recent introduction of video conferencing facilities, and enhanced government-wide electronic co-ordination of communication programmes.
18. With regard to products and communication services:
    1. A major review is under way to change the format as well as elements of the content of the SA Yearbook
    2. The process towards bulk-buying of non-personnel advertising has culminated in the contracting of two companies, and there is increasing usage of the facility by departments.
    3. Promotion and marketing of GCIS services and government media products is being strengthened.

2. Identifying and meeting the information needs of the public

The GCIS Information Centre has long played an important role in responding to queries from the public. In the coming financial year we hope to integrate this information centre with the regional offices of the GCIS and other government departments into a seamless flow aimed at better understanding and meeting the needs of the South African public.

The GCIS is preparing to enlist the co-operation of government offices which directly service the public in identifying the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that come from the public. These are then passed onto the GCIS Information Centre which secures accurate answers from the relevant sources. The answers are then made available to all government offices so that staff can respond better to public inquiries. Coupled with this proposal is the idea of establishing a government call centre - a plan which should come to fruition during the financial year 2001/2002.

GCIS will continue using traditional research methods to achieve this objective. This will include training staff in the regional offices on how to identify the needs of the communities they serve. Given the cost of an average research project, the GCIS is implementing a cost-effective strategy that entails the following:

• Where possible, to establish partnerships around research agendas. A recent example of this is research into HIV/AIDS. Following upon President Mbeki's call in his State of the Nation Address last June for a review of all interventions around HIV/AIDS, the GCIS has initiated wide ranging research into the impact of communication campaigns during the past 18 months. The efforts of the Department of Health, HSRC, MRC, CSIR, and two NGOs -- Street Law (in a project funded by the National Democratic Institute) and the women's Health Project based at Wits University -- were galvanised to help with the research. This will be finalised by the end of March and we hope to have a new communication strategy available soon after that.
• We are examining a proposal to establish a GCIS research services package that offers departments the benefits of our research expertise and bulk buying capacity. During the course of this financial year the GCIS research directorate assisted in the following areas, among others: international marketing; the campaign around Y2K; perceptions of the Department of Defence; and assessing the communications environment for the State of the Nation address.

2. GICs/MPCCs

Chapter Five of the Comtask Report placed development communication firmly on the GCIS agenda.

It pointed out that the development challenges facing South Africa meant that the following objectives should be achieved in a relatively short period of time:

• determining the information needs;
• developing an infrastructure and disseminating information in a manner which is appropriate and timely; and
• ensuring the use of innovative and non-traditional means.

The GCIS is pleased to report substantial progress in this regard. The most dramatic progress has been around the launch of Multi Purpose Community Communication Centres (MPCCs). We see MPCCs as structures which enable communities to manage their own development by providing access to appropriate information, facilities, resources, training, and services. The centres will offer a range of services as defined by the needs of the community.

We are engaged in parallel processes of restructuring the 9 regional GCIS offices and launching the MPCCs. SACS used to have these large offices based in urban areas. Currently these regional offices are being scaled down and replaced by 46 offices called Government Information Centres (GICs) working at district level. Such a move ensures that the GCIS gets a lot closer to the public we serve. The GICs are being located in the MPCCs.

The second process has been the coordination of those departments and government agencies establishing local level information centres. This has meant the involvement of the Departments of Communication, Arts, Culture, Science & Technology, Trade & Industry, Safety & Security, Welfare, Provincial & Local Government, and Sports. Also involved are STATS SA, the Universal Service Agency, Telkom, the Post Office, CSIR, the Development Bank, and HSRC.

These structures are represented on Project MPCC. The different organisations collaborate on identifying the location of an MPCC, and on the process of establishing the centre. Local and provincial governments are also consulted in the identification and location of these offices.

It is envisaged the GICs shall be responsible for the following areas:

• translating the development communications approach to the specific needs of that province;
• establishing distribution networks; and
• identifying the information needs of the communities in that province.

While our approach has been to identify one MPCC per district, we acknowledge that this is a vast area to be covered. Thus GCIS staff in the Government Information Centres will be asked to establish a network of satellite offices where government information can be disseminated. These would include NGOs alongside labour offices, courts, local government offices and so forth.

As much as the GCIS had indicated in its briefing to this committee last year that five such GICs/MPCCs will be launched before the end of this financial year, this had to be cut back to three. The first MPCC was launched in December in a village called Tombo, approximately 200 km from Umtata. The first GIC has been located there as well.

The next one will be launched on Friday 10 March in Kgautswane in the Northern Province and the third one in Worcester on 24 March.

There were several reasons for focussing only on three.

• The first was budget constraints. This approach had not been budgeted for and the GCIS had to apply for supplementary funding from the Department of State Expenditure.
• The second reason for the delay has been the lead time required for identification of suitable locations. The GCIS has been judicious in ensuring that we are not responsible for building even more government offices.
• Given the number of actors involved, it took longer than expected to arrive at the ideal model for the MPCCs.

The experience of the past few months has nevertheless been important for informing our approach to MPCCs, and we intend rolling out 20 more in the coming financial year.

3. Other developments

The following areas need to be noted:

• Relations with Provincial Communicators continue to improve. It was decided at a joint meeting to formalise the largely informal relationship between GCIS regional offices and their provincial counterparts. This would ensure that expectations and commitments are clearly spelt out.
• The partnership between the SA Post Office continues to strengthen with the Post Office providing a cost effective distribution service. This service has been utilised on three occasions already, with many of the teething problems ironed out.

3. Communication to promote Government's mandate

In July 1999 the Cabinet approved a Government Communication Strategy reflective of its broad mandate and programme, with the core message: A Nation at Work for a Better Life. The strategy was to guide the work of communicators in government for the period up to the opening of Parliament in February 2000. GCIS facilitated, through work with communicators, the development of 21 (out of 27) departmental communication strategies, to reflect the overall theme and programme.

GCIS' strategy for the period February-July 2000 was recently approved by Cabinet, with the core message: A Nation at Work: Dawn of the African Century - to reflect the priority accorded in government's programme to African renewal in the new millenium, and carrying forward the theme of the Inauguration of the new government, Faranani: Towards the African Century.

Much work remains to be done in giving practical effect to strategy through the programmatic work of each Department. A large proportion of communicators have found it difficult to concretise their strategies and programmes because they do not have a direct influence on the activities of the Ministries.

Restructuring communication components

At this stage, it appears that 14 Ministries have restructured according to Comtask - not necessarily with the appointment of a Chief Director, but in terms of a qualitative improvement in strategic communication planning, access to the Minister, integration between Department and Ministry, and so on. At least four other key departments are in the process of reviewing their communication structures, among them Foreign Affairs, Trade & Industry and Finance. Ministers, through Cabinet, have been urged to complete the restructuring process as recommended by Comtask in order that there be more consistent quality and strategic planning in government communication.

Regular co-ordination

During the year under review, GCIS has continued to regularly bring government communicators together to brainstorm on issues and campaigns, review progress made and concretise the overall communication strategy.

Bi-weekly meetings of Heads of Communicators have been replaced by quarterly strategic work sessions of the Government Communicators' Forum, as a mid-year review indicated this would be a more appropriate system for the circumstances.

In addition, clusters of communicators meet once a month, hosted by GCIS, to facilitate creative, cross-sectoral planning of programmes and message. The clusters mirror the five Cabinet Committees and clusters of Directors-General that became operative in January 2000, and a communicator from the lead department in a cluster is responsible for linking the work of communicators to this integrated approach in government.

The clusters of government are:

• Crime Prevention and Integrated Justice;
• Social Sector;
• Economic and Employment;
• International Relations, Peace and Security; and
• Governance and Administration.

GCIS is about to pilot a modest web-based system to support these clusters, whereby communicators can share their communication programmes.

Facilitating strategic planning

GCIS has continued, over the past year, to facilitate strategic communication planning on request from Departments or clusters. The following have been completed or are work in progress: Finance, SARS, Foreign Affairs, Correctional Services, Crime Prevention and Integrated Justice cluster.

2. Key campaigns and projects

Over the past year, much of GCIS' work in communicating government's mandate has been project-based, as will be elaborated on in other presentations. Following are some of the key campaigns in which GCIS has been (or continues to be) involved, in partnership with other departments:

• Presidential Inauguration (June 1999)
• HIV/Aids
• Y2K
• Anti-corruption summit
• Arms procurement package
• Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (November 1999)
• President's visit to the US (September 1999)
• St Lucia Wetlands Park as World Heritage Site (December 1999)
• Taxi Recapitalisation

Two critical projects bear specific mention as contributing towards the promotion of government's mandate: international communication, and the development of a corporate identity for government.

3. International communication

GCIS has identified as a priority area the international promotion of South Africa, in collaboration with a team of departments such as Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Finance and Sport.

A framework for a communication strategy in this regard has been prepared and approved by Cabinet, and we will soon announce the appointment of a project manager to spearhead this initiative which, we hope, will form the basis of a real partnership between government, the private sector and civil society. The project manager will work with a team of GCIS staffers and project managers from the key departments, conceptualising a campaign to develop a "brand" for South Africa.

It is intended that the campaign plan be put to the first meeting of an International Marketing Council at the beginning of April. The council will include Directors-General from the core departments, the CEOs of GCIS, Investment South Africa and SATOUR, and 10 individuals who will act in an advisory and lobbying capacity on the marketing of South Africa abroad.

Among the initiatives that will be put in place to support this campaign are:

• More regular briefings by Ministries for the diplomatic corps in South Africa, to be facilitated by GCIS;
• A more consistent programme to assist foreign correspondents;
• An improved South African Year Book;
• A more comprehensive system to keep South African missions abroad briefed about government business, and;
• The launch of a single Web access point to information about South Africa, primarily for an international audience.

Further information about the proposed campaign will be released once the necessary planning and conceptualisation has taken place.

In addition, GCIS has begun discussions with the Department of Foreign Affairs to propose ways in which we can impact on and improve the communication capacity in the missions, which we regard as critical vehicles for communication and information.

4. Corporate Identity Programme for Government

The pending approval by Cabinet of a new Coat of Arms will lay the basis for the introduction of a corporate identity programme in government, as proposed by the Comtask Report. To quote, the report identified: "The failure (by government) to present a coherent corporate image to the public. This is reflected in a diverse array of stationery, in the failure to identify public buildings outside or to supply adequate signage inside, the way government presents to the public telephonically and by letter, etc.

Such a programme would be critical to allow government to streamline its image and identity, as well as create cost savings in important areas such as the procurement of paper and signage. The proposed programme is a central aspect of the Batho Pele project and, as such, would be embarked upon in partnership with the Department of Public Service and Administration. A programme of this kind can only succeed if it is premised on a training and sensitisation programme with government staff, towards service delivery around an agreed set of values.

4. Improving service delivery to clients

GCIS' Chief Directorate: Government and Media Liaison provides a range of services to the media, many of which have undergone significant improvements in the last 12 months.

These include upgrading Bua News which, as mentioned earlier, provides the media with access to media releases, diaries of public representatives, and news items from government. Bua provides a particularly important service to the community media and, to ensure it meets their needs more adequately, the service has been made available online on the GCIS website from the beginning of February this year.

The Chief Directorate has also installed a three-point video conferencing facility which links media conference facilities in Parliament and the Union Buildings with GCIS head office. This enables GCIS to provide journalists in Pretoria with access to media events taking place in Cape Town, or vice versa.

The past few months have also seen improvements in GCIS' radio production service for community radio stations. The unit recently put in place a new facility that enables community radio stations to pick up key speeches and events in Parliament and the Union Buildings. This feed can be broadcast live to community stations around the country. This process of bringing Parliament and Government to the people has had a tremendous response from community radio stations - the President's State of the Nation address, for example, was broadcast live to 20 community stations, and additional stations have expressed an interest in future use of this facility.

All these services are constantly monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. For example, a major review was undertaken after the Presidential Inauguration, involving all those involved in the project as well as some of the 800 journalists who used GCIS' media liaison facilities. Lessons learnt from this and other projects are factored into future planning, in line with GCIS' commitment to functioning as a learning organisation.

2. Improving service delivery to government communicators

GCIS provides a particularly important capacity-building function for government communicators. A contract post was created from February to December 1999, with the brief of establishing a national training infrastructure in line with the Comtask recommendations. A range of new initiatives were mapped out and implemented to coordinate capacity building.

Among these initiatives were:

• Development of a new curriculum for government communicators: A series of new courses have been put in place, including communications strategy skills, new media skills for government communicators, and a community liaison and PR course.
• Development of a database of training service providers: An electronic database has been produced, with approximately 200 training service providers on record. The database is available, with a search facility, on the GCIS website. Government communicators around the country can now access and search for training service providers to suit their needs, and access programme outlines for the new courses listed above.
• Establishment of training infrastructure required by legislation: Two structures have been established, in line with the new legislative framework for training and development: A standards-generating body for government communications, in line with the requirements of the SA Qualifications Authority; and a quality-assurance body for government communication, called the Interim Government Communications Training Council. Both structures are playing a crucial role in determining and assessing the content of courses for communicators.

The training board initiative has now been incorporated into the CSA, and permanent staff are being appointed to ensure the sustainability of the project.

3. Improving service delivery to client departments

This area has received particular attention in the last few months, and a range of delivery-improvement mechanisms have been put in place to ensure GCIS meets is mandate of providing quality services to clients.

The development of Public Information Points as centres from which government information products can be accessed, for example, is an important strategic development for GCIS. We will endeavour to find resonance in the kind of communication and information government provides at these centres, with the needs of the constituencies they serve.

The planned relaunch of the GCIS Information Resource Centre at Parliament during the first half of this year would be one of the pilots in this regard, and we would be keen to hear feedback from the Members as it unfolds.

Project desk

The introduction of a project desk under the Deputy CEO has streamlined the briefing process for government departments.

The desk, introduced in December last year, ensures that GCIS deals with requests from client departments in a systematic and efficient manner, and ensures optimal coordination of government communication campaigns requiring GCIS' involvement. All requests that are cross cutting and not line function responsibilities are referred to the Project Desk for attention.

Communication Service Agency

The CSA is the primary interface between GCIS and government departments requiring information products. A range of new mechanisms have been in place in the CSA during the past year to ensure a speedier and more professional range of services. These include:

• The establishment of a panel of advertising agencies to handle government advertising campaigns. The establishment of the panel has cut down significantly on the turnaround time for departments, and has been well received by both the industry and clients departments.
• In addition, GCIS has appointed two advertising agencies on a year-long contract to handle the bulk-buying of media space. This initiative has consolidated government's buying power, and enables government to negotiate better discounts from media institutions.
• The CSA is establishing a consolidated national distribution network - based on the same principle of bulk-buying -- to ensure government information products reach their target audiences as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
• The establishment of a dedicated service provider database for GCIS. This ensures that GCIS' supplier base is broadened and gives SMMEs greater exposure to government opportunities. Government departments are already using the database to find new printers, advertising agencies, photographers, radio production companies etc.
• Streamlined briefing processes: The CSA has instituted a formal briefing process for all work undertaken by its various directorates. This provides a simpler, more logical process for departments requiring information products. The CSA operates on the basis that the clearer the brief, the better the quality of the work produced.
• A range of other quality-control mechanisms is being developed within the CSA to ensure the most effective use of resources. These mechanisms, including a client survey process to measure government departments' satisfaction with the range of GCIS services, and a more targeted marketing campaign to make government departments aware of the services provided by GCIS.

GCIS is confident that these measures, coupled with the impact assessment tools that are being developed by GCIS' research team, will ensure that government communicators receive regular feedback on the appropriateness of their information products and are able to bring about constant improvements to their work.

5. Information and communication programme

Tony Trew, Chief Director: Policy & Research

One of GCIS' principal objectives is to attend to the media, communications and information environment within which communication and the dissemination of information and opinion on public affairs takes place, in order to help expand access in conformity with the ideals of our democracy

Attending to the media, communications and information environment defines a wide range of GCIS activities: it includes those aimed at promoting media development and diversity and extending the infrastructure for government to disseminate information and for communities to register their needs.

It includes participation, as a stakeholder and at times as lead department, in those policy processes that reflect the impact of developments in Information and Communication Technology on communication and dissemination of information.

And it includes actively ensuring that developments in ICT are translated into wider public access to government information and added impetus to the process of media development that extends into areas of South African society which have been marginalised with respect to media access and involvement.

This section of our briefing updates the Portfolio Committee on our main activities in these fields, and outlines of some of the perspectives that are developing.

1. Media Development Agency

One thrust in our programme to address inequity in media and communication matters is the establishment of Government Information Centres (GICs) in the context of the programme for setting up Multi Purpose Community Centres - an issue that has already been addressed by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

The second leg of our efforts to ensure that the diverse sectors, interests and perspectives feel at home in our communications environment is the establishment of the Media Development Agency. The objectives and the background to that initiative are well-known and we believe form part of the consensus on the basis of which we are consolidating our democracy and building our nation. Today we report on the process to date and how we see things unfolding.

GCIS has formulated a framework document to inform the proposed character of the MDA.

This is work in progress in the sense that it is being developed through discussion and interactive consultation with all relevant sectors including in provinces.

Insofar as it draws on a consensus of an Interdepartmental Committee (comprising the Departments of Communication, Education, Trade and Industry, Finance, Arts & Culture, Science & Technology as well as the Policy Coordination and Advisory Services in the Presidency and GCIS as lead department), it reflects thinking in government.

It has been refined through our participation in National and Provincial Seminars organised by the National Community Media Forum and Freedom of Expression Institute and in consultations with regulators (IBA; Satra; USA, Competitions Commission; and Human Rights Commission); media owners; NGOs and other civil society groups concerned with the media.

A final round of consultation with these sectors and constituencies is in progress, and once the document is ratified by the Interdepartmental Committee it will be published for public comment.

It is also being informed through research in particular on the financial aspects of such an agency.

When the process is completed and the document has been finalised by the Interdepartmental Committee, it will be released for public comment. We expect this to happen by the middle of the year.

In the meanwhile an Interim Media Funders' Forum has been established representing currently providing funding to promote media development. This includes both local and foreign funders. Those who have been engaged in this process include: Kgaso Fund; Open Society Foundation; Independent Media Diversity Trust; Print Development Unit of the Print Media South Africa; UNESCO National Commission (SA); Heinrich Boll Stiftung; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Department of Arts & Culture Interim Film Fund. This has been done to promote exchange of views and co-ordination of urgent funding pending the establishment of the MDA.

We believe that a solid commonality of views is emerging, not merely on the need for an MDA, but also on its broad character.

2. Information and Communication Technology

One way in which thinking around the Media Development Agency has evolved is greater recognition of the relevance of the so-called New Media for media development and diversity. To that extent it also integrates with our general interest in developments in Information and Communication Technology.

That interest led us to accept an offer from the British Council to send our Director of Policy to a conference currently in progress in Malaysia on the theme of the Global Knowledge Partnership.

As noted above, our interest in technology leads us actively to participate in policy processes lead by other departments, both as government communicators and as stakeholders in the field of ICT, such as those concerned with e-Commerce; IT Policy for the Public Sector and the South African Industrial Strategy Project.

We also have an immediate and practical concern to make sure that we make the most of developments in ICT to promote the achievement of the objectives that define the business of GCIS.

Naturally the Internet is critical to this effort. Our Annual Report indicates the rapid expansion in usage of the Government Online web site, launched in January last year.

Major extensions of both the Government Online and GCIS web sites lie ahead. One will come with the roll-out of the Government Information Centres and the MPCCs, for which the GCIS web-site will provide a readily and continuously accessible reference point for the answers to Frequently Asked Questions mentioned earlier, and as a complement to the Call-Centre that is planned.

Another, mentioned elsewhere in this briefing, is the hosting of Bua Online as an on-line news service aiming to provide a central news dissemination point servicing the media.

As the Public Information Terminals are established across the country, in a programme led by the Department of Communications, it is expected that Government Online will provide the access to government information and in particular government forms that is needed if the PITs are to meet the public's needs.

These are just some of the most prominent features of an all-out effort to ensure that the most advanced technology is enlisted in the task of establishing a government communication and information system worthy of our democracy.

6. Transformation and corporate issues

Ilva Mackay Langa, Chief Director: Corporate Services

GCIS has gone through an intensive transformation process, involving a review of its structures and its work procedures. Business planning and budgeting processes are more closely integrated, and a range of improvements have been made to the department's corporate governance

1. Transformation of structures and personnel

GCIS has been involved in a long but systematic process of reviewing its activities. Our presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications last year was based on a SWOT analysis carried out within GCIS and our regional Government Information Centres (GICs) during the first few months of 1999.

Our aim is to transform GCIS into an efficient and effective organisation, which will deliver on its mandate to provide information to the public, with a focus on the poor and disadvantaged of our country.

We continued throughout 1999 and into the new year with this process of transforming GCIS:

• We have been through a process of scenario planning, where we considered what the most important factors to affect the future of government communications would be. The aim was not to predict with any accuracy what the future might hold, but to ensure that our strategies take into account the various possibilities that may emerge.
• We held a GCIS bosberaad in May 1999 where we frankly and openly tried to clarify our role and identify areas for urgent attention. These priorities were grouped around structure, competencies and the budget, and a transformation agenda was established.

The current focus of our programme is around diversity in our organisation where we look at issues of race and gender relations. We also have in place a programme to deal with issues that have arisen out of a climate study within GCIS, and are creating a "learning organisation" to ensuring continuous improvement and development.

The transformation of GCIS has progressed well and we will continue to focus on the areas that require our urgent attention, such as

• training of staff;
• an incentives system;
• our internal communication strategy; and
• implementation of our Seamless Project recommendations.
2. Restructuring

One of the most significant changes made to our structure was to establish a project desk under the Deputy CEO, with the function of ensuring that GCIS deals with requests from our clients in a systematic and efficient manner. All requests that are cross cutting and not line function responsibilities are referred to the Project Desk for attention. Given the large number of projects that GCIS works on at any given time, we implemented a training programme in project management for GCIS management during 1999.

We renamed the Chief Directorate: Government & Media Liaison and created a new directorate for International Liaison and Marketing, dealing with coordination of international marketing strategies.

We also increased the size of our Provincial & Local Liaison chief directorate from 85 to 116, given our priority programmes around the development of GICs and one stop government centres.

We also realigned our Corporate Services structure by upgrading the IT function to the level of directorate; upgrading the Internal Audit function; grouping all the Human resource functions in one directorate and all the finance, provisioning and auxiliary functions together to ensure greater coherence.

The CSA chief directorate was separated from Corporate Services and training for government communicators included in the functions of the CSA.

No significant changes were made to the Policy & Research chief directorate.

The old structure of SACS had approximately 504 posts in February 1995. By January 1998 SACS had approximately 230 staff, following the large-scale exodus through transfers or voluntary severance packages. There were approximately four directors in the entire GCIS with no chief directors, and the directors had to ensure the necessary continuity in the department.

We have finally adopted a new structure for GCIS with 383 staff of whom 116 are in the Provincial and Local chief directorate, with the majority based in the provinces to staff the existing and proposed GICs.

We have however decided to operate within our current personnel budget allocation of R37,7 million and will fill posts incrementally, with some of the posts earmarked as unfunded vacant posts.

We are also managing a Corporate Services Improvement Project which aims at:

• evaluating and re engineering the work processes within the confines of the public service regulations
• addressing the overall size of Corporate Services through redeployment, retraining, internal lateral transfers; natural attrition and by encouraging early retirements

In terms of representivity in GCIS, we have passed the minimum national standards set by the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service:

• 75 % of our management is black
• 40% of management are women
• 1% of our staff are people with disabilities.
2. Budget

The GCIS mandate has been extended to include:

• Development information which entails developing a more grassroots based network of communicators
• Better application of advances in IT so that the public has better access to government via the Internet, specifically the Government website
• Playing a proactive role in projecting the country internationally
• Coordinating the work of all government communications - through clusters of national departments or through provincial governments.

Owing to these increased responsibilities, we submitted a request during 1999 for an adjustment to the baseline of our MTEF allocation. Our budget for 1999/2000 was R47 279 000 and we requested additional operational funds for 2000, based on the decision by Cabinet on 8 October 1997, that as operations get under way GCIS may request a larger budget or additional funds.

We were finally allocated a budget of R60.7m, of which

• R37.7m is for personnel expenditure and
• R23m is for operational costs.

The budget can be broken down to:

Programme 1: Administration R16,2

Programme 2: Policy & Research R11,0

Programme 3: Government & Media R 8,2

Programme 4: Provincial & Local R14,0

Programme 5: CSA R11,3

We have centralised our overall running costs for the whole of GCIS and our regional GICs and this totals R5 million, which covers administrative costs of telephones, cells, fax, photocopiers, stationery, GG cars, SITA and Govnet,

The major expenditure items are as follows:

Programme 1: Administration (Corporate Services)

Major priorities are:

• Meeting our fixed running costs
• IT equipment and software, especially for the network
• Training all GCIS staff
• Advertising costs to fill vacant posts
• Improving security measures

Programme 2: Policy & Research

The priorities in this programme are:

• Management of Government Online, GCIS' entry point to all government websites
• Production of directories for government, contacts, media etc
• Media monitoring

Programme 3: Government & Media Liaison

The priority is coordinating the international marketing of South Africa. Additional priorities are:

• Production of Bua Online, which will provide daily news package service to community and selected mainstream media
• Briefings to diplomatic corps to South Africa
• Improving technology
• Use of SAPA

Programme 4: Provincial & Local Liaison

The priority is the establishing and maintenance of one stop government information centres throughout the country.

Programme 5: Communication Service Agency

The priorities in this programme are:

• The production and distribution of material for the Opening of Parliament
• Proper facilities for the radio unit, given our emphasis on the need to make more extensive use of radio -- particularly community radio.
• Production and distribution of the SA Year Book

In conclusion, it is critical to note that GCIS adds value or contributes to savings within government through:

• communication research, which covers the communication environment, media impact analysis; as well as pre- and post-testing of campaigns, making expenditure cost effective
• providing communication advice to Ministries and assisting departments in developing communication strategies
• rendering an accessible and professional media support service to Parliament and Cabinet
• providing an effective news dissemination service on behalf of government nationally, provincially and to international missions
• providing a cost effective agency type service for departments through the Communication Service Agency which produces and copies material ranging from large exhibitions to video and audio cassettes
• producing radio programmes in all eleven languages in support of government campaigns for use on national, regional and community radio
• providing print and production services and advice to departments and playing a central role in developing a corporate identity for national government
• producing and marketing the SA Year Book, the official window to South Africa
• developing our section for bulk-buying of campaign advertising space, which will result in a saving for government. Once this is in place we will look at extending bulk buying to other aspects of communication
• our skills initiative for communicators which provides professional training and advice to national and provincial government communicators will act as a major cost saver to government
• ensuring sound relations among communicators at national, provincial, and in future at local government level, which will ensure savings in the long run
• compiling and delivering development-centred information programs and campaigns through Government Information Centres. The aim is to move away from urban centred offices that GCIS inherited from SACS, to Government Information Centres located at district level. GCIS is working in collaboration with several departments to establish one-stop government information centres (Multi Purpose Community Centres) throughout the country at a local level
• Research conducted to determine the need for government information amongst the South African population nationally is an example of projects executed for government. The results of this research are currently being shared with national departments and provincial communicators so that the information needs of the South African public are met
• FAQ Project: We estimate that the Frequently Asked Questions Project will last up to two years. The aim is to identify the most frequently asked questions by the South African population, consult relevant departments to formulate the answers and distribute the answers through the Post Office, and other government institutions. This project will involve all spheres of Government -- national, provincial and local, making their communications cost effective
• providing a support service and advice to departments on their request, or per directive from Cabinet, such as the launch of the HIV/AIDS Partnership, arms package, voter registration, elections, inauguration, anti-corruption summits.