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PROPOSED

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR THE INGWE MUNICIPALITY

"This Communication Strategy proposal is protected under the copyright laws

of South Africa and other countries as an unpublished work. This proposal contains information that is proprietary and confidential to Vantage, which shall not be disclosed outside the recipient's company or duplicated, used or disclosed in whole or in part by the recipient for any purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. Any other use or disclosure in whole or in part of this information without the express written permission of Vantage is prohibited."

COPYRIGHT IN FAVOUR OF VANTAGE HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD WILL CEASE ONCE THE PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTED BY THE INGWE MUNICIPALITY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS SUBJECT

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

PAGE

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 3 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 4 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE ........................................................................................ 5 KEY COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES ................................................................. 6 ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................... 7 COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES ...................................................................... 8 TARGET AUDIENCE ............................................................................................... 9 MESSAGE AND THEMES ..................................................................................... 10 FINANCIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES............................................................. 11 STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES....................................................................... 12 RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMUNICATION.................................................. 13 ACTION PLANS AND TIMESCALES .............................................................. 16 EVALUATION..................................................................................................... 16 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................... 16

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1.

INTRODUCTION

Local government has a legal obligation and a political responsibility to ensure regular and effective communication with the community. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 1996 and other statutory enactments all impose an obligation on local government communicators and require high levels of transparency, accountability, openness, participatory democracy and direct communication with the communities to improve the lives of all. The communities, on the other hand, have a right and a responsibility to participate in local government affairs and decision-making and ample provision is made in the abovementioned legislation for them to exercise their right in this respect. Our democratic government is committed to the principle of Batho Pele and this, in simple terms, means that those we elect to represent us (councillors at the municipal level) and those who are employed to serve us (the municipal officials at municipal level) must always put people first in what they do. It is these basic rights and responsibilities of the community and all three spheres of government, that the Ingwe Municipality wishes to promote through the adoption of this Communication Strategy. The Municipality also acknowledges and subscribes to the view that in any democracy, it is essential that the community is constantly informed about the municipalitys work and empowered to take active part in the decision making process of the municipality. The Municipality subscribes to, and will honour the rights of its community to exercise its rights in terms of the following statutory enactments which can be used to enforce accountability of local councillors and the local council. These are: i) The Promotion of Access to Information Act, No. 2 of 2000 which gives people the right to have access to any information which the government (including the municipality as the third sphere of government) has if they need it to protect their rights. Officials can only refuse to give information in certain limited situations. The Protection of Disclosure Act, No. 26 of 2000, which protects people who speak out against government corruption, dishonesty or bad administration.
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ii)

iii)

The Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, No. 3 of 2000 which says all decisions of administrative bodies have to be lawful, procedurally fair and reasonable. People have a right to be given reasons for decisions taken by government officials.

No sphere of government functions in a vacuum and for maximum communication impact, especially in terms of credibility and reach, roleplayers such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community based organisations,(CBOs) faith based organisation (FBOs) and other civil society organisations and opinion-makers will be called upon to become actively involved the affairs of the municipality. 2. BACKGROUND

The Ingwe Municipality which covers an area of 1, 970 square kilometers has a population of 120,000 and is one of 5 local municipalities forming part of the Sisonke District Municipality located in southern KwaZulu Natal. The other local municipalities are Matatiele, KwaSani, Ubuhlebezwe and Greater Kokstad. The municipality is also home to 11 traditional authority areas which cover 26% of the municipal area of Ingwe. The Municipality is deeply conscious of the statutory obligation placed on it to develop a culture of municipal governance that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory government. For this purpose it encourages and creates conditions for the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality. It further recognises that it must build the capacity of the community to enable it to effectively participate in the affairs of the municipality, that it is required to put in place mechanisms and procedures for such participation and finally that it is required to make budgetary provision for such participation. Whilst the Municipality has in terms of existing resources communicated with the community in respect of the statutory requirements relating to the budget, its Integrated Development Plan and organisational performance management system, it recognises that it must put in place a more cohesive strategic approach to the Municipalitys communications processes,

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especially relating to the delivery of services so as to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law. 3. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE

The strategic objectives of the Municipalitys Communication Strategy are: 1. Firstly through external communication, to seek continued participation in municipal affairs and an improvement in public perception and understanding of the municipality, its functions and the services it provides. As part of the external communication process it will: Actively educate and inform the community about the municipality, its practices and its services. Seek the communitys comments and input and involvement in a range of municipal issues as prescribed by legislation, especially in regard to its budget, its integrated development plan and its performance management systems as well as the services it is required to provide to the community. Take a targeted, high profile approach to major local municipal issues. Give equal support and attention to all geographical areas covered by the Municipality. 2. Secondly through e-communication, to maximise the opportunities to communicate creatively and effectively through the use of new technology, so that the community has easy access to information about the Municipality, including the investment and tourism opportunities it presents. It undertakes to continuously update its website and use it to: promote the council and its services and to facilitate channels of communication between the community and the municipality; and seek out and exploit the opportunities presented by electronic communication, internally and externally, to benefit the Municipality and the communities it serves.

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3. Thirdly to establish a corporate identity for the Municipality so as to strengthen the council's visual profile locally, regionally and nationally through consistent use of a strong corporate logo. It will: provide information in a clearly branded, concise fashion to both internal and external audiences; ensure that all communication from the municipality is unambiguous, reliable and easy to understand so as to improve the image and integrity of the Municipality; and ensure that the professional image of the council is maintained and enhanced by the production of quality corporate documents and through effective and consistent branding. vigorously advertise it business and tourism opportunities with a special focus on the 2010 World Cup that is to be hosted in South Africa. 4. Fourthly to improve internal communication so as to increase staff understanding of the aims and objectives of the municipal council and promote ways of improving communication between business units. The Municipality will: maintain a strong two-way flow of information within the council that supports and encourages teamwork, trust and loyalty; and ensure that the councillors and staff are informed of all appropriate decisions, policies, programs, events and issues in a timely, accurate and consistent manner The outcome of the Municipalitys objective must clearly result in the Municipality keeping the community informed about issues relating to the Municipality, to involve them in the affairs of the Municipality and lastly and extremely importantly, to consult them on important issues in accordance with the various statutory enactments regulating the relationship between the Municipality and the community it serves. 4. KEY COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES

The Municipality is committed to communicate professionally with individual community members, civil society organisations, other stakeholders and role players, as prescribed by legislation, and will therefore ensure that:
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i) ii)

iii)

iv) v) vi)

vii)

Clear communication plans are in place for everything it does in order to maximize public information and minimize confusion. Communication with the community both written and oral will be conducted in languages which are predominantly spoken in the area of jurisdiction of the municipality. It communicates clearly, openly, accurately and regularly with the community and civil society organisations, other stakeholders and role-players in order to promote mutual understanding, and give a better service to the community. All communication is open and honest, purposeful and timeous particularly in relation to consultation and decision-making. Enquiries from the media and the community are dealt with and responded to in a timely, accurate and appropriate manner. All communication and promotional material issued by the municipality is branded and therefore clearly identifiable as having come from the Municipal Council, and includes key contact details. All communication is prepared in line with other appropriate council policies concerning freedom of information, data protection, fairness and equality, customer care and environmental sustainability.

An overriding feature of these key principles in that the Municipal Council will take into consideration any input, comments and criticisms of the community, civil society organisations, other stakeholders and role players in respect of municipal policies, procedures, systems, programs or infrastructure developments and service delivery issues. 5. ENVIRONMENT

Communication strategies and communication plans emanating from such communication strategies must take into account the often unique environment in which such communication must take place. It is necessary therefore to reflect on the particular rural ethos of the community living within the Municipalitys area of jurisdiction so that appropriate channels of communication, processes, procedures and mechanisms can be put in place to reach especially those inhabitants who live in rural settlements far removed form the Municipalitys civic centre.

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All communication plans and processes will therefore be developed in such a manner that communication with the former uMsekeli administered hamlets of Bulwer and Donnybrook which are located a fair distance from the Municipalitys civic buildings as well as the Traditional Authorities of Madzikane-Bhaca, Isibonelo Esihle, Amakhuze, Sizanani, Umacala-Gwala, Zashuke, Qadi, Bidla, Vukani, Amangwane, and Vezokuhle (Ingonyama Trust Lands) on which a large number of rural settlements have been established, is maximised. Such communication plans will also take into account the fact that the population of approximately 120 000 persons is mainly African and unemployed and that they live in scattered settlements on approximately 2000 square kilometres of land falling within the area of jurisdiction of the Municipality. 6. COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

The challenges that have been identified and in respect of which action plans will be developed to address them, are: Facing high technologic challenges in South Africa for developing in particular rural community usage of website could be a problem. Poor e- technology of a large segment of the community which inhibits them from accessing the Municipalitys website so that they can be better informed of municipal issues. Ability to communicate with persons in the deep rural areas, although the members of the ward committees are making every effort to do so. Lack of an in depth understanding of municipal issues by a large section of the community which to a certain extent inhibits constructive input into the Municipalitys budget, the integrated development plan and the performance management system. To improve the budget for communication purpose. Lack of proper coordinated communication processes with other local municipalities and the district municipality which is to be addressed through, inter alia, the District Coordinating Forum established in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, No. 13 of 2005. Lack of proper coordinated communication processes with National and Provincial departments which will be addressed through the

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Premiers Intergovernmental Forum established in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, No. 13 of 2005. 7. TARGET AUDIENCE

The Municipality has a statutory obligation to communicate with all members of the community, and to either involve them collectively or individually in the communication process which revolves around informing them, consulting them and involving them in the affairs of the municipality. However, in view of the divergent nature of the population with its different literacy levels, language, culture and preferred communication channels and language, the Municipality will use a variety of communication channels and methods to keep them abreast of issues that impact upon them. The target audience can roughly be divided into five main groupings: Firstly the municipalitys ratepayers and customers who would be constituted of: i) The poor and marginalized sector of the community, such as the illiterate, the unemployed and disabled who would rely predominantly on verbal communication through public meetings, house to house visits, road and radio talk shows and broadcasts. Such communication would also predominantly have to be in the vernacular. Many of these people lack the material resources and education to be able to effectively engage the municipality, which will, as a result pay particular attention to this marginalised group. ii) Secondly the literate and employed with whom one could communicate in both the written and spoken word. Thirdly organised civil society organisations which have been established in the Municipalitys area of jurisdiction and which must be placed on the Municipalitys Community Participation data bank. Fourthly the three spheres of government, including the traditional houses/councils and parastatals. The business community and investment agencies such as the Industrial Development Bank, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, national and international donor agencies. Lastly the print and electronic media.

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8.

MESSAGE AND THEMES

The message to be conveyed to the community will depend on the Municipalitys statutory and moral obligation to: Inform, consult and involve the community in those issues prescribed in, inter alia, the: o Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, 1996 o Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 o Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 o Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 o Local Government: Municipal Property Rates, Act 2004 inform the community of imminent issues that may impact either positively or negatively on them; make the community aware of a problem; encourage the community to take action; request and encourage the community to become involved in the actual planning/development of the issue at hand. provide feedback on issues in respect of which the community was involved or consulted. Furthermore the message will also outline the procedures that will be followed by the Municipality when communicating with the community and set out the mechanisms, procedures, processes and structures that must be used by the community when communicating with the Municipality so that the community is left in no doubt as to the time, place and manner of continuous interaction with the Municipality. Lastly the message will stress the importance, the benefits to be gained from and the responsibility of the community to involve itself in the affairs of the municipality. Some of the vehicles and tools for delivering the message will be: Public meetings Izimbisos Open council meetings House to house visits Road and radio talk shows and broadcasts Media and public notices Briefings Exhibits Internet Video and audio presentations Mailing information

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Ward Committees and Community Development Workers Presentations

Call Centre Telephone

9.

FINANCIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES

The Municipality is conscious of the statutory obligation placed on it to actively promote community participation and to involve the community in the decision making process of the Council. It acknowledges also that such participation will not succeed without sufficient human, financial and other resources being made available for such function. In the light of the above, the Municipality will establish a communication/Public Participation Unit/designate an official to fulfil this function, so that communication with the community can be structured and coordinated. Such unit/official is to report to the Municipal Manager. In regard to financial resources the Municipality will on an annual basis budget for expenditure to be incurred in regard to its statutory obligation to seek and foster community participation. In preparing its budget the Municipality will take into account that finances will have to be provided for: 1) Capital Expenditure and Remuneration. This is to cover the cost of resourcing the Public Participation Unit and to remunerate the employees in the unit. 2) Notifying the Community about Governance issues. The municipality is required to notify the community on the level and standard of services they are entitled to receive as well as on other governance issues set out in Chapter 2 and 4 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000. 3) Training and Capacitating the Community. Section 16(1)(c) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000 imposes on the municipality the obligation to annually allocate funds in its budget, as may be appropriate, for the purpose of building the

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capacity of the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality and to capacitate councillors and staff to foster community participation. 4) Annual Consultative Processes. In terms of section 16(1) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000 the Municipality must annually consult with the community in respect of: the preparation, implementation and review of its integrated development plan in terms of Chapter 5 of the Act; the establishment, implementation and review of its performance management system in terms of Chapter 6 of the Act; the monitoring and review of its performance, including the outcomes and impact of such performance; the preparation of its budget; and strategic decisions relating to the provision of municipal services in terms of Chapter 8 of the Act. 5) Ad Hoc Consultative Issues. In addition to those issues in respect of which the municipality will have to consult with the community on an annual basis such as the IDP, the PMS, the municipal budget and so on, there are a number of other issues on which the municipality has to engage the community, such as road closures, amendments to town planning schemes, introduction or amendments to bylaws etc, which however do not necessarily take place on an annual basis. 6) Marketing the Municipality. Should be conducted as an aid to promote corporate identity and strategic events or projects of the municipality. 10. STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES

To ensure that the communication function is properly coordinated and implemented, the Municipality will establish a Public Participation Unit in the Office of the Municipal Manager. It is emphasized that within public participation one of the members should deal directly with communication programs or the communication officer.

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The unit will have direct links to the Office of the Mayor and the Speaker as depicted in the Public Participation Organisation Structure as set out in Annexure A. The Unit shall be administratively accountable to the Municipal Manager and shall assume responsibility for: internal and external communication media and stakeholder liaison media production marketing and branding The Unit shall have: Access to the executive committees and other decision-making bodies of the Municipality. Hold regular communication strategising meetings so as to provide communication guidance to the Municipality. 11. RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMUNICATION

11.1 Communication Responsibility of the Municipal Manager As head of the municipal administration, the municipal manager is in terms of section 55(1) of the Municipal Systems Act, responsible and accountable for: An administration that is responsive to the needs of the community to participate in the affairs of the municipality. Facilitating participation by the local community in the affairs of the municipality. Developing and maintaining a system in terms of which community satisfaction with the municipal services can be assessed. Since the above functions all have a strong communication focus and since the Municipal Manager is the designated Information Officer in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, it is fitting that the Municipal Manager assumes overall responsibility for the communication function within the Municipality.

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11.2 Communication Responsibility of the Mayor The functions and powers of mayors are set out in section 49 of the Municipal Structures Act, which section provides, inter alia, that the mayor must preside at meetings of the executive committee. Specific responsibilities have also been placed on the mayor to communicate with the community on the budget process in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act. It is also considered that the mayor has a specific responsibility in regard to, marketing and promoting the municipality as a haven for investment and to keep the community abreast of important municipal events and achievements. For these reasons the Mayor will be the spokesperson on Council business or matters before Council. Therefore, all media inquires should be directed to the Mayor in the first instance. If the Mayor is not available, media enquiries should be directed to the Deputy Mayor. In the event that the Mayor or Deputy Mayor is not available for comment, media enquiries should be directed to the Communications/Public Participation Unit, which will liaise with the Municipal Manager to develop an appropriate response. The Mayor and Councillors must inform the Communications/Public Participation Unit and Municipal Manager of any contact with the media relating to Council business including providing copies to them of media releases or other forms of communication forwarded to the media. 11.3 Communication Responsibility of the Speaker

The functions of the speaker are set out in section 37 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998 and provide that the speaker must preside at meetings of the council and perform such other duties as are assigned to him/her in terms of the section. As a member of the municipal council, the speaker is in terms of section 4(2) (c) of the Municipal Systems Act required to encourage the involvement of the local community in the affairs of the municipality and to consult the local community about the level, quality, range and impact of municipal services provided by the municipality, either directly or through another service provider.
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11.4 Communication Responsibility of Ward Councillor As the ward councillor is the direct link between the council and the community in the ward he/she should ensure that the community is consulted and kept informed about council decisions, development and budget plans that affect them. The ward councillor must also assist the community in solving any municipal problems they may be experiencing, by bringing these to the attention of the municipal officials through the established channels of communication. 11.5 Communication Responsibility of the Ward Committee The functions of the ward committees are set out in section 74 of the Municipal Structures Act, and provide that a ward committee may make recommendations on any matter affecting its ward to the ward councillor; or through the ward councillor to the council or the executive committee. Ward committees are conduits for citizens participation in the councils decision making process and it is important therefore that the ward councillor as chair of the ward committee and the ward committee members interact and communicate with the community on an ongoing basis, with the view to keeping the community abreast of council decisions and in helping them to resolve municipal related issues. 11.6 Staff of the Municipality Members of staff are not permitted to speak with the media unless prior permission from the Municipal Manager has been received.

If the media contacts a staff member, the staff member should inform the Communications/Public Participation Unit and the Municipal Manager immediately. The Municipal Manager must then forward the details of the query to the appropriate Business Unit for comment before the Municipal Manager or the mayor responds to the media. If the Municipal Manager decides it is appropriate or preferable for that staff member to brief the media that staff member should be mindful of the policy of the Municipality and confine his/her comments to the subject area of the inquiry.

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12.

ACTION PLANS AND TIMESCALES

To ensure that all role players effectively carry out their communication responsibilities, the Public Participation Unit will on an annual basis, prepare draft action plans that spell out in detail what is to be done for each event in the programme, who is responsible for doing it, what the specific targets and objectives and budgets are. This will serve as a strategic management and co-ordination instrument to ensure that the communication objectives are met. Such action plans are to be developed with reference to Chapter Eight: Municipal Affairs Requiring Public Participation of the Public Participation Framework Manual developed by the KwaZulu-Natal, Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs. 13. EVALUATION

In view of the dynamic nature of local government and the increasing focus on involving the community in municipal affairs so as to deepen democracy, the Municipality undertakes to periodically review its communication strategy to establish whether it in fact serves the municipalitys purpose of professionally interacting with the community and whether it accommodates the diversity of the community in terms of gender, different languages, different education, literacy levels and cultures. The community will on an annual basis be requested to assess and provide input on the effectiveness of the Municipalitys Communication Strategy. All comments received will be considered by the Municipal Council with the view to improving its Communication Strategy. 14. CONCLUSION

The Municipality is committed to ensuring that the community becomes actively involved in the affairs of the Municipality in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the other statutory enactments referred to in this document, and trusts that this Communication Strategy will ensure broad based community involvement in the governance of the Municipality.

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ANNEXURE A
Organisational Structure for the Participation Process:
Municipal Council

Executive Committee

Portfolio Committee Speaker Municipal Manager Mayor Public Participation Unit

Community: in respect of those issues where the mayor has a specific responsibility e.g. the budget

Head of Department

Head of Department

Ward Councillor

Line Manager

Line Manager

Transport Forum

IDP Forum

Ward Committee

Advisory Committee

Community/Individual within the Community

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