Coaching of provincial government communicators set to intensify communication
Government communicators from all the provincial departments, municipalities and State Owned Entities in Bokone Bophirima Province have been advised to resist the temptation of occupying the comfort zone, and focus their attention on intensifying communication of government’s programme of action to communities.
This was highlighted during the two-day Provincial Marketing Communication and Media Workshop held on Monday 05 and Tuesday 06 June 2017 at Christiana All Seasons Resort, Lekwa - Teemane Local Municipality.
In his address to government communicators, the Deputy Director General in the Office of the Premier, Mr Buti Chuma said there is a lot that government is doing in its effort to achieve the Rebranding, Repositioning and Renewal of the province, that is not extensively and effectively communicated to the residents of Bokone-Bophirima.
“You must be offended by the sentiments which suggest that government is not communicating to residents as expected. We need to rise up and feed our communities with information.
We must occupy the communication space with information on how our government is changing the people’s lives through the five concretes”, remarked Chuma, who also challenged government communicators to also embrace a communication approach that affords our communities an opportunity to tell good stories about the services they receive from government.
Urging communicators to jack up their performance and be the ones setting the agenda for the media, Chuma said, “Our government will never be critisised if communicators can ponder and start setting the agenda for the media. Gone are the days of being a defensive team; we need to be proactive government communicators”, insisted Chuma.
Highlighting the importance of communicating effectively and regularly to the public, the provincial government spokesperson Mr Brian Setswambung said communicators especially those in municipalities, must communicate stories that present opportunities for the community they are serving.
“We need not be apologetic in showcasing government’s service delivery programmes and intervention efforts. Our presence in various communication platforms such as print, electronic and social media must be felt”, added Setswambung.
Some media institutions who were part of the workshop, also stressed the importance of strengthening the relationship between the media fraternity and government.
SABC Provincial General Manager in Bokone Bophirima, Mr Dan Mongale reminded the gathering of a responsibility bestowed upon government and the SABC as a public broadcaster, that of disseminating information, saying information on the intentions and successes of the five concretes must be communicated consistently in all channels of communication.
Encouraged by the two-days engagements, government communicators committed to use all relevant platforms including government publication Semphete, to intensify communication filled with development and informative stories to our people.
The workshop was dubbed, “Defining meaningful communication for effective service delivery across Bokone Bophirima Province”.
For enquiries, contact:
Brian Setswambung
Cell: 076 012 4501
E-mail: bsetswambung@nwpg.gov.za
