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DGovernment Communicators need more political clout
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Premier's Office

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MEDIA   RELEASE
 DAILY DISPATCH, 4 SEPTEMBER 1999
 'Govt communicators need more political clout'
By Eric Naki
Political Correspondent



BISHO -- Government communications staff must have political clout to be able to speak with authority about departmental or government 
issues, The Star newspaper's deputy editor Mathatha Tsedu, said at the launch of the Eastern Cape provincial government public 
communications package here yesterday.

Tsedu was speaking about building relations between the media and government.

He said when the Communications Task Group (Comtask) was established, one of its recommendations was to upgrade the role of communications 
so that heads of communications should be chief-directors within departments and ministries.

This was designed to give communications staff sufficient clout to attend Cabinet and other senior level meetings of the government so they 
had the background to enable them to communicate to the media.

Tsedu cited the example of the White House spokesmen and -women who carried sufficient political weight for everyone to know they spoke US 
President Bill Clinton's views.

Similarly the success with which ex-president Nelson Mandela's spokesmen, Joel Netshitenzhe and Parks Mankahlana served under him was 
because everyone knew Netshitenzhe was a "big enough shot" within both the government and the ANC to know what he was talking about.

Tsedu said the relationship between the government and the media already existed; it just needed to be improved.

The need for improvement will always be there because the relationship between the two is semi-adversary.

It is so because in the nature of the watchdog the media saw itself, constant vigilance was warranted.

The abuses of power and resources within government could be stamped out through anti-corruption structures.

"The fear of exposure is a key element in the media's ability to influence clean behaviour by many civil servants and politicians.

"So the watchdog role is a key element of the functions of the media," Tsedu said.

He said the relationship between the media and government should be "adversarial co-operation".

This meant that for as long and whenever the government was doing good, the co-operation should be available.

However, where corruption is found, it should be the responsibility of the media to expose it.

Tsedu said communications staff must be professional and know what they are supposed to do.

As the country is committed to a transparent government, the communication staff should swear to such transparency.

Once communications officers are in tune, half the battle has been won and the government needed to root out the mindset in many civil 
servants that secrecy is the key to success.

The changing of mindset within the civil service is therefore crucial; transparency is not only for communications staff, but for 
everybody, Tsedu said.

Once we accept the need for openness and co-operation, we will find that what needs to be discussed is really ways and means of 
strengthening and improving relations, he added.



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