GCIS
Government Communication
Government Communication and Information System
The GCIS was officially launched in May 1998. It was established in terms of Section 7 (Subsection 2 and 3) of the Public Service Act, 1994 (Act 103 of 1994), as amended. It was transferred from the then Department of Communications to The Presidency with effect from 1 April 2020. The mandate of the GCIS is derived from Section 195(g) of the Constitution, which stipulates that South African citizens should be provided with information that is timely, accurate and accessible. This is in support of the constitutional principles of freedom of expression, transparency and openness of government.
Over the period ahead, the department will focus on providing and facilitating strategic government communication, coordinating communication across government, and facilitating active citizen participation. The department has a total budget of R2.3 billion, increasing at an average annual rate of 2.6%, from R743.5 million in 2023/24 to R802.8 million in 2026/27.
As the department’s work is mostly dependent on personnel, spending on compensation of employees accounts for an estimated 39.5% (R925.2 million) of its budget over the MTEF period, while transfers to entities account for an estimated 32.3% (R735.1 million)
Providing and facilitating strategic government communication
The department aims to meet citizens’ information needs through advertising government programmes, communicating government priorities and providing civic education. This will be achieved through using various media platforms, including community radio stations, social media, television, newspapers, and leaflets and flyers.
Key messages and information to be disseminated on these platforms include: the 2024 Presidential Inauguration, government’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan, anti-corruption initiatives, awareness of gender-based violence, and civic education.
These activities have an allocation of R73.2 million over the medium term in the Content Processing and Dissemination programme. Although the Vuk’uzenzele newspaper has been an effective means of communicating and providing citizens with information on government’s key priorities, as media consumption patterns have shifted towards digital platforms, from 2024/25, the newspaper will be produced and distributed only digitally (22 editions per year).
However, 13 200 Braille copies will still be produced at a projected cost of R1.6 million per year over the medium term. Digital distribution is expected not only to reduce costs, but also increase reach, with an emphasis on photography and audio-visual content creation.
In addition, the department plans to repurpose R14 million of Vuk’uzenzele’s budget over the MTEF period to fund an over-the-top streaming service, which is expected to contain content previously disseminated through the newspaper, as well as other government content. This expenditure is also in the Content Processing and Dissemination programme.
The department’s social media platforms will be updated regularly to ensure that they effectively share government content. The intention is to create awareness about the challenges facing the country, provide information on how government plans to mitigate them, and suggest ways in which citizens can play a part in resolving them.
This will be carried out at an estimated cost of R2.9 million per year over the MTEF period in the Products and Platforms subprogramme in the Content Processing and Dissemination programme.
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2023/24
