Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, Chairperson of the proceedings and chairperson of the portfolio committee, Deputy Minister, hon members, honoured guests, friends and comrades, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen. I stand before you today, on the first day of June, which also marks the historic commemoration of Youth Month. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Soweto and related youth uprisings. June 16, 1976, has been engraved in the minds of all South Africans and reminds us to take command of the values enshrined in our Constitution and in our daily lives. This day was denoted by the horrific murder of the 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. It is this harsh reality that reminds us of the oppressive past that allows us to appreciate our current democratic dispensation, where today we once again hail that South Africa belongs to all who live in it.
South Africa's liberation struggle was marked by its success in mobilising people even under strenuous environments for the better good. Over 17 years into democracy, it has become necessary for people to once again be mobilised for the national good. Despite the challenges that came after 1994, South Africa has the muscle of a legitimate government supported by a people-centered government communication system.
This Budget Vote presentation takes place against the background of the positive mood that prevailed during the successful third democratic local government elections that saw millions of South Africans participating in it. It is against this background that we are tabling the budget of an organisation that not only gives expression to the rights in the Constitution, but one that is also key to developing each South African into an active socioeconomic agent that contributes towards the functionality of our democracy.
In my address, I will focus on the work done by the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS. The Deputy Minister, hon Dina Pule, will address you on the work of the International Marketing Council, IMC, of South Africa and the Media Development and Diversity Agency, MDDA.
At a Cabinet lekgotla in January, the President declared that communication should be prioritised. We were also mandated by Cabinet to assert the presence and voice of government in a highly contested communication environment. We were further mandated to energise all government departments in this effort, and our ability to inform society should continue to be at the centre of our work.
The resounding mandate given to government by two-thirds of our people highlights government's communication as a critical link between government's implementation of its programme and the empowerment of citizens through the dissemination of relevant government information and initiatives. This gives life to government's theme: Working together, we can do more.
Hon members, we have developed a national communication strategy for 2011 to 2014 which provides implementation support to government's change agenda which in turn uplifts the five national priorities into five key communication campaigns. This strategy is before Cabinet. These key campaigns centre around the delivery of improved quality of basic education, provision of health care for all South Africans, decent work to ensure sustainable livelihoods, reduction of crime and rural development.
We have in the past led campaigns, working together with the relevant departments, without necessarily taking over the day-to-day functions of their communication units. I will briefly highlight the energy efficiency campaign and the inclusive economy campaign. The GCIS successfully partnered with the SABC to promote economic opportunities created by government, which mainly targeted the living standard measure, LSM, between 3 and 7 as potential beneficiaries. In this 13-episode series called Rize Mzansi, government reached over 1,6 million viewers.
Following the national electricity crisis of 2008, we led the energy efficiency communication on behalf of government. For the 2010-11 financial year, the campaign focused mainly on strengthening direct stakeholder relationships and internal communication programmes. An electronic newsletter was launched, and a number of media round tables were held on various key national energy issues. A four-part educational series ran on e.tv and a microsite on energy efficiency was created, which is fully operational. In addition, the national advertising campaign was implemented, with heightened awareness on energy efficiency.
In heeding the President's call for a professional cadre of public servants, we have developed communication platforms which are designed to attain a higher national interest of an empowered citizenry. One such platform is the Public Sector Manager magazine, which is edited, laid out and designed internally. This platform provides an opportunity for the Public Service to share best practices which support government's outcome- based approach of developing a performance-oriented Public Service. The magazine is also available online.
We continue to implement capacity-building programmes for government communicators and political principals. This programme empowers government messengers with the tools to effectively develop and disseminate government messages. We have also conceptualised, on request, a series of tailor-made communication sessions, including media engagement training, communication strategy development and development communication.
To date we have delivered over 25 media training sessions to national, provincial and local government communicators and conducted two workshops with government communicators from 26 departments on how to develop successful communication strategies.
In making government communications more professional, we have put in place plans for the implementation of a national training and capacity-building programme. We also successfully organised forums where best practices and issues of common interest were discussed by communicators in the system with the aim of improving the quality of our communications. In its quest to provide strategic leadership in communication and co-ordinating a responsive government communication system, GCIS is strengthening existing programmes and putting in place key interventions.
Hon members, we will support national, provincial and local government in developing and aligning government-wide communication strategies. This includes alignment of the cluster communication strategies which provide a basis for visible and tangible outcomes of government's implementation of its programme. We also monitor the implementation of these strategies.
Government's share of voice in the media is not something that happens by chance, but is informed by a deliberate strategy of being both proactive and reactive. During the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup we piloted a dynamic mix of communication which proved to be extremely effective in terms of monitoring salient issues and responding rapidly. This model ensured that communicators remained aware of the environment and were prepared to engage, argue and defend government.
We are in the process of rolling out a model of a proactive and responsive media management system which amalgamates policy and communication expertise in setting the public discourse agenda. This will ensure that accurate and prompt responses from government hold the media or public discourse space for the given issue.
We have also centralised government's advertising unit to realise bulk media discounts. Success has already been recorded in the realignment of media buying from an outsourced to an in-house model. For this financial year, a total of 147 campaigns to the total value of R163 million have been booked. We plan to make the media buying system more professional through an enhanced client management system and operational guidelines.
We are also in the process of establishing a professional events and exhibitions unit. This will contribute towards executing government events professionally, from planning to look and feel. We have distributed over 11 million units of print information material. However, due to the poor uptake of our centralised distribution system by national departments, we plan to implement a client education and relationship management strategy to assist clients and departments in understanding the benefits of centralised distribution.
To ensure that the corporate identity for government is adhered to, we plan to conduct workshops with all three spheres of government to build a uniform government brand. This is as per the Cabinet resolution of 2004 for the establishment and roll-out of a uniform corporate identity for government.
Documenting the work of government is critical in raising the awareness of citizens and, more broadly, the international community. While we appreciate that content is key, we also know that a picture tells a thousand words. The Government Communication and Information System continues to successfully document and handle the increase in video and photographic coverage of the President and Deputy President as they lead the country. We are in the process of acquiring the technology to transmit footage directly to broadcasters from abroad and locations in and around the country. There are also plans to move towards high-definition full digital recording capabilities.
Hon members, for us to be effective, various techniques and styles must be adopted. In facilitating a targeted and measured communication approach that addresses the diversity of the South African population, we are designing and managing a segmentation research project to better understand the make-up of the South African population. Such understanding is important to determine what to communicate, how to communicate and through which platforms to communicate. We base our communication programme and platforms on empirical evidence acquired through scientific communication research.
The state of the nation address by the President is not just any other speech, but sets the agenda for government's programme of action for the coming year and also highlights key achievements and challenges. I am pleased to see that the number of people who viewed the speech increased year on year from about 2 million in 2009 to almost 4 million in 2010 and over 4 million in 2011 since it was changed to the evening. A total of 68 big screen events or communal viewing areas of the speech were arranged. Tertiary institutions, hospitals and correctional institutions were targeted as venues in some provinces. A total of 256 communal viewing outreach events took place which included activities before, during and after the events. A highlight activity was the screening event and service outreach at the Efata School for the Blind and Deaf in Mthatha, which brought the President's address to this important segment of our society.
In supporting and unpacking the programmes announced by the President, the GCIS successfully organised and facilitated post- state of the nation address ministerial media briefings which featured all the government clusters. These briefings provided a critical platform for Ministers to articulate strategies and plans in the implementation of government's programme of action.
The cluster briefings were also accompanied by a community radio phone-in programme on the 66 community radio stations. The collective reach of the 66 community radio stations targeted was 7 million listeners.
As a government for all South Africans, we have to ensure that, regardless of limitations and challenges, we serve all our people. In this spirit, we intend to reposition the bimonthly Vukuzenzele magazine, within the existing budget, into a monthly tabloid format that will enhance its reach and frequency. Vukuzenzele promotes access to information about government programmes and how to access the benefits of democracy. It has also brought about an important addition to government's communication platforms, especially for people with the least access to media.
Currently, we produce 1,6 million copies of the magazine on a bimonthly basis. By using the existing budget for the magazine, we can publish a monthly tabloid and increase the print run to 1,7 million copies. The elimination of the one-month gap will allow for continuity as readers are better able to develop loyalty to the publication. The plan is to increase the print run to 2 million and go fortnightly as from 2012 onward.
Research shows that radio remains a media platform with substantial reach. Information reaches audiences quickly, and to a large extent, in their homes. The Government Communication and Information System has established the practice of hosting community radio phone-in programmes on community radio stations for major campaigns on Thursdays at 6 pm. It has been found to have an impact because it allows the community to interact directly with government officials and political principals.
We are mindful of the impact of social media on the world. Social media democratises communication and enables people to provide up-to-the-minute feedback. Indeed, the democratisation of the media marketplace places an even greater onus on government to ensure that its voice is heard and understood.
To ensure that we remain relevant to the youth and indeed to the adult population that is active in the social media world, we have developed guidelines for government communicators to take advantage of these platforms. These guidelines are necessary to ensure that government does not lose its authority, voice and legitimacy to become just another voice in the social media space. We want to encourage Members of Parliament and the executive to also take advantage of these platforms as led by the President.
As government, we will also continue to engage with the South African National Editors' Forum to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Turning to the budget, the spending focus over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period will continue to contribute to the creation of an informed, efficient, effective and development-oriented public service by building communication partnerships with stakeholders. The Government Communication and Information System will also support the International Marketing Council's, IMC, rebranding projects that focus on marketing South Africa to the general South African public, as well as the efforts of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, MDDA, to enable access to the media by historically disadvantaged communities.
Expenditure for the department increased from R380,9 million in 2007-08 to R550 million in 2010-11, at an average annual rate of 13%. This was mainly due to funds devolved from the Department of Public Works for office accommodation; from departmental activities in preparation for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup; from government's initiatives in the inclusive economy; additional capacity at provincial offices; from the Energy Efficiency Campaign; and from the increase in transfer of payments to the IMC for the 2010 World Cup and CNBC Africa communication programmes.
Over the MTEF period, the expenditure is expected to increase from R550 million to R552 million at an average annual rate of 0,1%. The marginal growth is as a result of completion of activities in 2010-11 related to the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, the Energy Efficiency Campaign, as well as the lack of adequate funding for the CNBC Africa communication programmes in the same year.
At the end of the financial year, R522 million - that is, 95% - was spent. The bulk of the saving of R27,9 million relates to the following: An amount of R16,5 million was allocated to the new GCIS head office building as part of the Re Kgabisa Tshwane Project. This project was cancelled by the Department of Public Works and the money has been rolled over in terms of the agreement with National Treasury.
Earmarked funds of R6 million, in respect of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, were saved, mainly due to some activities that we did not realise by year-end, such as the expansion of the international research to other countries; a final technical report that needs final approval and which will have financial implications; as well as the production of a coffee table book and a DVD.
The annual Government Communicators' Awards Ceremony was given a cash sponsorship of R100 000. A saving of R3,52 million was realised in respect of Compensation of Employees; and a saving of R1,696 million can be broken down as follows: R608 000 in respect of communication activities around the state of the nation address; over the medium term, the department receives additional allocations of R5,3 million, R5,5 million and R5,7 million for improved conditions of service; R1,5 million, R1,6 million and R1,7 million for video and photography support to the Presidency; R1,4 million and R1,5 million for media relations for consecutive years; and R1,9 million, R2,1 million and R1 million for developing communication personnel and the communication curriculum for communication personnel in government. The ratio of administrative costs to line-function programme costs is 1:4 and is expected to increase to 1:2.
The GCIS has once again closed its 2010-11 financial year with a record of 95% of budget spent. This is a well-managed budget execution. The GCIS budget for the 2011-12 financial year is R496 million, with the IMC receiving an allocation of R140 million and the MDDA an allocation of R19 million.
The essence of "Working together, we can do more" has begun to permeate all government work. The GCIS has adopted a more measured approach to government communication, which will allow reflective baselines to be established.
Government communication will continue to pursue a people-centred approach in partnership with various sectors of society in ensuring that all citizens become active participants in a functioning democracy, towards a better future.
Let me also take this opportunity to thank the outgoing chief executive officer of the GCIS, Mr Themba Maseko, for his sterling work at the helm of this organisation, and to wish him well with his future plans.
I offer a word of warmest congratulations to Mr Jimmy Manyi and his GCIS team for the impressive way they have run this crucial government operation.
I thank you and recommend that you approve the Budget Vote. [Applause.]