Official Communication Approaches And Strategies

The first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 ended official apartheid and ushered in a democratic dispensation under the guidance of a government of national unity. To facilitate the transformation of the economy and country at large, an array of policies and strategies that emphasized democratic governance and the inclusion of the previously disadvantaged communities in their own development and in shaping policy were promoted. These policies have gone through major shifts from the immediate post-apartheid agenda of a more inclusive and broad-based trajectory to one in which market forces dominate and the majority of South Africans remain poor and mere recipients of services of varying quality.

The results of the most recent election indicated the demand for a more people-oriented system, in which the government is more active in the developmental state. Appendix 5 provides snippets of the policies/strategies, the intentions and implications for community engagement in this regard. South Africa is a constitutional democracy with clear institutional and administrative lines of service delivery responsibility from national to local level. These are supported by a regime of service delivery policy and government strategies . The IDP is a key mechanism for policy dialogue at municipal level, where the voices of citizens are meant to be heard and to influence policy.

The Municipal Systems Act (MSA) is the legislation that governs local government and guides the communication processes between municipal government structures and the public. Specifically, the municipal manager is mandated to ensure that he or she communicates to the local community:

• Whenever necessary to ensure that the community remains informed of local government business.

• In the local newspaper/s of its areas and in an appropriate language for its area.

• Through radio broadcasts covering the area of the municipality.

• Through distribution of flyers and pamphlets at such points as might be determined by the ward committee.

• Through posturing posters in all ward information centres.

• Through the municipality’s official website.

However, communication can be a challenge in isolated and poor serviced rural communities. In Jozini, for example, the internet connection is unreliable, service is erratic and the number of households with internet, let alone domestic telephone lines, is next to none. Newspapers and flyers also require high literacy rates and a culture of reading – both lacking in many rural areas, including in Jozini When and where pamphlets might be used, the transport and road network, as well as transport budgets, create major challenges to distribution. The only viable means of interaction between local government and the community remains the IDPs, but implementation of these plans remains problematic as we discuss in the following section.