BRIEFING
TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS
GCIS
Strategic Plan and Budget
NOTES
FOR A PRESENTATION BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
1
We
would like to thank the Portfolio Committee on Communications for this
opportunity to present our strategic plan for the period 2007-10.
2
More
than ever before, our planning is focused across the whole three year period,
and beyond. Our perspectives, our priorities and major campaigns, are defined
principally by medium to long-term programmes of government: amongst them, the
mandated targets for 2014; AsgiSA targets for 2010 and beyond; the hosting of
the 2010 FIFA World Cup; the imminent finalisation of a five-year comprehensive
strategic plan to combat HIV and AIDS; and the five year strategic agenda for
local government
3
We are
also just past the mid-point in this government’s term of office, and so as
well as looking forward three years our presentation also looks back over the
past three years or so.
4
Over the
past few years GCIS and the agencies for which it is responsible, have received
increases in their base line funding. This is also true of the proposed budget
for the medium term expenditure period 2007-10, in ways that we will detail.
The critical support of this committee has contributed both to the development
of our plans and to that expansion of resources for meeting government communication
needs and public information needs. We trust that you will find our plans such
as to merit the proposed budget.
5
This government took office in 2004 with an increased mandate for
further and faster transformation; and greater consensus around development
goals - in particular the halving of poverty and unemployment by 2014. In that context four communication
challenges for the Second Decade of Freedom were identified. They have guided
the work of GCIS and the government communication system since then and will do
so during the period of our Strategic Plan 2007-10.
6
One priority
is the building of a framework of communication partnerships informed by an
overarching vision uniting all of society around common development goals, to promote
a social partnership that can take the country to a faster development
trajectory with a growing economy that benefits all
7
Partnership of government and society has therefore been a driving
principle of communication. It is reflected in content that seeks to unite all
of society in practical action towards common development goals. And it has
informed the establishment of several communication partnerships.
8
Fostering
the Partnership against AIDS has
been a commitment of GCIS since the Partnership was established in 1998.
Contributing to its rebuilding in recent months has been a major priority. This
has included the establishment of a communication partnership of government and
civil society which will be of critical importance for an effective campaign of
Information, Education and Communication to support implementation of the
comprehensive National Strategic Plan for 200-2011 once it is finalised by the
South African National AIDS Council.
9
The
vulnerability of women and children to abuse also renders them more vulnerable
to HIV infection. This creates linkages between the partnership against AIDS
and the partnership of civil society and government which built on 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against
Women and Children into a foundation for the 365 Days Programme & National Action Plan initiated on International
Women’s Day a few weeks ago.
9.1
GCIS
has been allocated special responsibility to provide communication support to these
campaigns led by the Deputy Minister of Provincial & Local Government, and
the budget allocation for 2007-08 again includes an amount R3m specifically for
the 16 Days of Activism communication campaign.
This campaign will make a significant contribution to the building of a
mass campaign uniting all sectors of society in a campaign against crime
10 As a national initiative, rather than
merely a government programme, AsgiSA
depends on joint action by key groups in the economy. Its implementation
requires appreciation of the opportunities it brings to people in both the
first economy and marginalised second economy communities.
10.1 Effective communication is therefore of
critical importance. As the AsgiSA Annual Report for 2006 released last week
indicates, enhancing AsgiSA’s communication programme will be a priority for
2007. Our contribution to this, working with The Presidency, will be assisted
by a specific budget allocation of R1,5 million. A further allocation for
second economy communication is dealt with below.
11 GCIS has worked since 2004 to develop and
implement a communication approach that will ensure that we make the most of the
national communication opportunity that the 2010 FIFA World Cup: to further unify our country; to work with
other African countries to improve the image of our country and continent; and to
foster a climate for accelerated development.
11.1 GCIS leads the Marketing and Communications
Cluster of the 2010 Technical Coordination Committee. We have been working with
the International Marketing Council and others to build a 2010 National
Communication Partnership of government; private sector communicators and the
Local Organising Committee.
11.2 This work will be facilitated by the R7,4m
allocated in the budget, rising to R8,7m by 2010. Most of this will be used for
campaigns to mobilise South Africans to participate in preparations and hosting.
It provides for the establishment of a 2010 project management unit in GCIS.
12 Partnership of government, communities and
sectors of society for development is the essence of the izimbizo campaign. GCIS has helped organise and co-ordinate the
izimbizo programme of The Presidency and National Imbizo Weeks since their
inception. Together with The Presidency and Provincial and Local Government,
the campaign has been reviewed – this will lead to closer alignment of izimbizo
with local development as articulated in Integrated Development Plans, Local
Economic Development plans and the National Spatial Development Perspective.
13 The transformation
of the marketing, advertising and communication industry is nearing the
formalisation of its charter. A charter scorecard was developed some time ago.
But it was necessary to wait for Phase 2 of the Codes of Good Practice on Broad
Based Black Economic Empowerment so that the scorecard could be aligned with
them. That will be completed in the first half of this year. The Charter
gazetting process will then proceed and with it the formation of a Charter
Council.
14 Further
testimony to government’s long-standing commitment to the fostering of
communication partnerships is the existence of the Media Development and
Diversity Agency and the International Marketing Council, which will
be presenting their strategic plans to the committee in a few days and proposed
budgets which include increased allocations.
15 A further communication priority is to
disseminate information that expands access to the opportunities that democracy
has brought, to help overcome the exclusion or marginalisation of a substantial
part of our society. The reach of such information
has been extended by a shift towards media with wider reach; and by the creation
of new platforms and products with wider appeal.
16 Disseminating the content of government’s Programme of Action as outlined in the
President’s State of the Nation Address is a major part of this effort. The multi-media
communication campaign this year again includes a serialised photo story
published in newspapers; radio dramas in all languages (except English); big
screens in Thusong Service Centres; and a 16-page magazine summary published as
a supplement to Vuk’uzenzele’s March edition. Plans are being made to
supplement the campaign at the beginning of the year with further communication
during the year.
17 Since it was launched in 2005, Vuk’uzenzele has consistently been
received with appreciation. Each edition
elicits a wave of enquiries to the Batho Pele Call-Centre and GCIS.
17.1 An additional R2,5 million was included in
the GCIS budget to resource an increase in the print-run, together with an
agreement that the revenue from the sale of the five pages of advertising could
be used for the same purpose. This year
the print run will increase to 1,4 million. Demand will still outstrip supply
and attention is being given to promoting greater sharing so that the same
number of copies reach more people.
18 The communication campaign in support of government’s
Second Economy interventions has
been supported with funding from the FOSAD Economic Cluster departments for
three years.
18.1 A more adequate response requires a joint public-private
effort. In November last year communicators from government, state owned enterprises;
development finance institutions and private sector came together at a
conference to launch a National Partnership to Expand Second Economy
Communication. A focus of our strategic
plan is to build on the conference, working closely with the AsgiSA
communication campaign. This will be assisted by an additional R2m in the GCIS
for scaling up second economy communication.
19 The roll-out of Thusong Service Centres (formerly MPCCs) to broaden public access
to information and services at community level is on track towards the target of
at least one per local municipality by 2014. There are now 94 operational
centres. Co-operation between GCIS and municipalities
has led to the establishment OF some 550 new information points of presence in
municipalities without Thusong Service Centres or district GCIS offices. GCIS and the Film Resource Unit have developed guidelines for the roll-out of audiovisual
centres in Thusong Service Centres,
20 A third priority is to promote awareness of
and engagement with the institutions and programmes of continental and regional
integration and development. This will enhance appreciation of the intimate
link between our own future and that of the rest of the continent. It includes
ensuring that the public is kept informed of
21 We will in the coming period be working
with Foreign Affairs to raise awareness of developments regarding the AU and its institutions and SADC; and of what NEPAD has achieved since it was launched. In preparation for the
discussion on the AU government at the next Heads of State and Government
Summit in July this year, a public debate on the issues will be promoted to get
the views of South Africans on this matter.
22 The SADC
Media Awards are in their third year. Their purpose is to honour excellence in
journalism in the region and to promote regional cooperation and integration by encouraging
journalists to improve reporting and analysis of regional issues. GCIS works with stakeholders in the media industry
to manage and organise the annual awards nationally.
23 The 2010 FIFA World Cup, as the first African World Cup, brings opportunities
that can be realised if communicators across the continent work together from
now until 2010. It is a chance to promote mutual understanding amongst our countries
and to build continental solidarity. With an unprecedented global platform it is
an opportunity to work together to improve the world’s image of our countries
and our continent.
24 Progress has been made in
strengthening the government-wide system. Its extension to the local sphere is
progressing well and an Internal Communicators Forum has been established. The
coordinating mechanisms are functioning.
24.1 However a more effective and efficient system
remains a priority and the core of the GCIS mandate. This includes addressing
structural issues and enhancing capacity and professionalism amongst
communicators. The latter is particularly important given the approach adopted
with the establishment of the government communication system, namely to
centralise coordination and strategy but ensure that communication takes place
from the points nearest to the intended recipients.
25 Strengthening the working interface between
government and media is a constant
preoccupation.
25.1 Since May 2004 regular media briefings on
the Programme of Action and its
implementation by Ministers and senior officials have helped the media to keep
up to date with progress and challenges.
The briefings provide media with accurate information about government’s
work and opportunities for media to question ministers and officials about issues
related to their work. There are indications that there may be more frequent
briefings on particular issues or programmes.
25.2 Relations
between government and the media have improved over recent years and we believe that professionalism
among government communicators is improving, leading to better service to the
media. GCIS will continue to pay
attention to further improving relations with the media, including inculcating
professionalism among communicators..
25.3 Usage of government’s news service
26 Government’s ability to communicate
effectively and in an integrated and disciplined manner depends on an efficient
government communication system.
26.1 During the past year the coordinating
mechanisms have functioned better resulting in more coherence and
co-ordination. However, the system can only function optimally if communicators
have the requisite capacity. Three years since it last audited the system, GCIS
will this year again conduct an audit of its functioning and capacity to
identify steps for improvement.
26.2 Following the national conference of local
government communicators held in May last year, which adopted guidelines for building
municipal communication capacity, GCIS has continued to work with provinces and
SALGA to take this forward. By now 28 of the 46 districts have established
district communication forums.
27 The section above has outlined
the principal programmes that will be undertaken in the period covered by our
Strategic Plan. It has indicated how we will use some of the additional
allocations in the medium term budget.
28 The budget allocation for 2006/07 was R294 580 million. As we
move towards closure of books for the financial year we believe we will be
reporting that expenditure has taken place as planned. We do however project a
saving of approximately 1%. These savings will be made up of the following:
28.1 R487 448 relates to unpaid
advertising space in Vuk’uzenzele, mainly in the January 2007 edition payment
for which was not received in time for use this financial year. We project an
annual revenue of R1,8 million from advertising in the six issues for the year
and this amount was allocated during the adjustment estimates in September
2006.
28.2 A further organisational saving
(through personnel and operational savings) of R1 698 400 will go towards
writing off the Kotane debt and other small written off-debts (R234 956). Over
and above that we project less than 1% operational savings.
29 Over the coming MTEF period we have received additional
funds to our baseline of R56,356m ;R43 660m and R47 746m for each year
respectively.
Period |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
TOTAL |
R294 580m |
R375 812m |
R389 553m |
R426 726m |
The additional funds will go towards:
Ø Additional personnel (R4,555m)
to address the needs of programmes that have increased operations; upgrade of
the supply chain administration staff; and
R1,2m for the internship programme
Ø Additional office space (R1m)
Ø Employer’s contribution to the non
statutory force pension (R15,4m);
Ø Provincial and Local Liaison
upgrade of regional structures (R6m);
Ø Communication programmes: AsgiSA
(R1,5) and second economy (R2m);
Ø Vuk’Uzenzele expansion of reach
(R2,5m).
Ø GCIS 2010 World Cup
communication programmes (R7,4m increasing
to R8,7m by 2009/0). The IMC has been allocated R14m increasing to R16m for international
2010 communication ;
Ø MDDA additional personnel (R2m)
30 These additional funds are over
the three year period except for the non statutory force pension which is a
once off employer’s contribution paid into the Government pension department.
35 During 2006/07 GCIS utilised R 2 207 708 for short
courses and bursaries for staff. This was 3.4% of the personnel budget, in line
with the requirement that departments utilise at least 1% of the personnel
budget for training.
31 Eighty-one (81) interns
completed 6-month internship
placements with GCIS during 2006/07. Twenty-five of them will complete their
internships at the end of June 2007. This was complemented by the intake of 10
learners for a one-year Marketing and Communication Learnership programme that started in July 2006. The programme will
be completed in June 2007 when another group of 10 will be admitted.
32
During 2006/07, eight GCIS staff at general assistant level
enrolled for a course ‘Introduction to Tailoring’. They will complete ‘Advanced
Tailoring’ at the end of March 2007. Two drivers received certificates in
Advanced Driving. In 2007/08, GCIS will place 10-15 general assistants on
entrepreneurial skills programmes or general maintenance skills such as
carpentry, plumbing, carpet fitting, tiling, driving,
building, painting and welding. These skills will, hopefully, help them engage in economic
activities that generate sustainable incomes when they reach retirement age.
33
As required, GCIS monitors the demographic composition of the
staff complement. The establishment consists of 413 filled posts, with 21
funded posts vacant as a result of staff movements, making a total of 434. The
staff is: African 76.3%; Asian 2.9%; Coloured 9.4%; and White 11.4%.
34 Senior
Management comprises 32
staff from the level of Director to Chief Executive Officer (SMS); with 84.4%
black and 37.5% female.
Asian |
African |
Coloured |
White |
||||
M |
F |
M |
F |
M |
F |
M |
F |
3 |
2 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
9.4% |
6.2% |
31.3% |
21.9% |
12.5% |
3.1% |
9.4% |
6.2% |
15.6% |
53.2% |
15.6% |
15.6% |
||||
Male |
Female |
Black |
White |
||||
20 |
12 |
27 |
5 |
||||
62.5% |
37.5% |
84.4% |
15.6% |
35
People
with disabilities make up 2.2% of our staff. Our job advertisements
are routinely sent to about twenty organisations working with people with
disabilities, drawn from the database for the South African Federal Council on
Disability Member Organisations.
36 Plans for Information
Management and Technology are detailed in the strategic plan, and we touch here
on those aspects with more direct impact on the communication priorities dealt
with in Section II
37 We have rolled out remote connectivity to the GCIS Virtual Private Network in all
government information centres (GICs) in
Thusong Service Centres with fixed-line connectivity. We will implement
alternative connectivity options for those without fixed-line connectivity.
38 More investment will be made on
the GCIS web infrastructure hosting the information
portal, to improve capacity, efficiency and functionality. The completion
of the language translation project will see the remaining four official
languages available on the services portal
by the end of this month. `
39 To enhance Security we have implemented internet, e-mail and spam filters and
anti-virus systems. We will continuously upgrade and update them to counter
threats and vulnerabilities. We have built capacity for IT continuity for
disaster recovery of the internal and transversal IT systems and services. We
will plan and budget on an ongoing basis for replacement of equipment approaching
their end-of-life cycle.
40 Our strategic plan will guide GCIS in fulfilling
its mandate to strengthen the government communication system in order to meet government
communication needs and public information needs, so that citizens can play an
active role in improving their own lives and the welfare of the country.
41 In doing so we will be guided by the imperative
of promoting a national partnership to build a better life for all. Our work
will be informed by the commitment of government to implement a detailed
programme of action to take the country as fast as possible towards that goal.