Government, media important partners in communication

Communication is at the very heart of the programme of action and the implementation of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) and the good relationship between all spheres of government and organs of state and the media is therefore of vital importance.
This was the message from CDM Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services, Betty Kgare, to delegates to the District Communicator’s Forum networking session that was hosted by CDM at Bolivia Estate last Wednesday.
Kgare said that the municipality is tasked to invest in the vigour, seriousness and importance in communication, as it does with other key mandates of local government. “Your task as communicators is to bring to life the programme of action in our IDPs in a creative, meaningful and eye-opening way from the media side. Whether we are holding a council outreach, opening a road, launching a water project or VIP toilets to communities, such successes must find resonance and the impact must be felt by the people we serve. It’s vital that we double our efforts, individually and collectively, to provide the public with more information about what is happening or else social media will occupy the empty space, form its own opinion and create their own perception,” Kgare said.
“Now that we are dealing with some undesirable news relating to financial management and governance, please empower yourselves about the position of government on those news themes, share tips and speak coherently. Voices may be many but the message should remain the same,” Kgare added.
“We will soon be entering the electioneering era and your work will be more important to profiling the work of government, and you will be contending for the same space with the opposition who will be using service delivery challenges as oxygen to gather votes. So please, brace yourselves,” Kgare concluded.
After Kgare’s address, topics which included ‘Observing editorial independence for the sound relationship between government and the media’, ‘The use of social media as a communication platform’ and ‘Strategic flow of information from government to communities through media channels prior to elections’ were discussed by a panel that included Spokesperson for the Office of the Premier, Phuti Seloba and President of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa, Malesela Maubane.

Story & photos: BARRY VILJOEN
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