Pretoria: Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, has affirmed that the budget allocated to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will enable it to carry out its mandate. “We hope that it will assist funding campaigns aimed at fighting gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and building social cohesion. We hope that, with the support of government, it will achieve all that,” Morolong said.
According to South African Government News Agency, the GCIS is an agency of government charged with coordinating, managing, and advising on all government communication with the public, including media liaison. It is a unit in the Office of the President and falls under the political authority of the Minister in the Presidency. Speaking to SAnews after Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni presented the GCIS Budget Vote in Parliament on Friday, the Deputy Minister explained that part of the budget will be used to fund community media. “It is part of our plans to fund the work of community televisions and radio stations, we will have to find better funding models, especially with our advertising,” Morolong said.
He had hoped more funds could be allocated to the GCIS but assured the public that the GCIS would render the required services to them. “We will be able to carry out our mandate as expected and we will be able to run our campaigns as expected, however, we will continue to engage the National Treasury for additional funding,” he said.
The total budget allocation to the GCIS over the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period (2025/26 to 2027/28 financial years) amounts to R2.468 billion, which is spread as follows: In 2025/26: R820.281 million, In 2026/27: R805.731 million, In 2027/28: R842.171 million.
During her Budget Vote speech, Ntshavheni said the GCIS continues to prioritise radio as a pervasive communication channel to reach South Africans in a language of their preference and to ensure that communities engage with government. “In the last financial year, 1,086 radio products were used to inform citizens through differentiated formats,” Ntshavheni said.
The Minister said the GCIS of the future requires an extensive capital budget to accelerate digital transformation technologies and ensure that the department remains relevant, agile, and productive as the Fourth Industrial Revolution rolls into the fifth. “I table this budget for your support, and I undertake that we will use it diligently to serve the nation. I say this particularly . as South Africa prepares to hold a National Dialogue. The GCIS and its agencies stand ready to ensure South Africans have access to information that will enable their effective participation and feedback,” the Minister said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that government would host a National Dialogue that will enable South Africans to participate in engagements that will confront the country’s challenges and forge a path into a better future. It will be a people-led, society-wide process to reflect on the state of the country, with people from all walks of life who will come together and help shape the next chapter of South Africa’s democracy. All South Africans will have an opportunity to participate as individuals or through organised formations.