The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Ms Khusela Sangoni Diko, expressed the committee’s sentiment during the Government Communication Services’ (GCIS’s) budget vote debate at Parliament today, that the National Assembly should approve with six conditions the 2025/26 budget of the GCIS.
Ms Diko said: “We are not content to merely rubber-stamp this budget. Our support comes with clear, enforceable conditions designed to transform GCIS from a passive broadcaster into an active enabler of democracy.”
She further said that the committee invoked section 10(5) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure Act to amend the 2025-2030 strategic and 2025/26 annual performance plans of GCIS).
The six amendments, which are set as conditions for budget approval, are that the GCIS should put in place a communications performance management framework for the executive and senior officials; legislative and policy reform; monitoring, evaluation and results framework; reforms to Brand SA and MDDA; enforcement of the 30% community media spend; and technical support to media compliance and transmission.
“Government communication must be strategic, multilingual, people-centered and data-informed. We must go to where the people are at ranks, traditional communities, churches, social media platforms, WhatsApp groups, community halls and speak with one voice, with clarity and compassion,” said Ms Diko.
According to Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni work is underway to meeting some of the conditions already. She said that the GCIS monitors on quarterly basis the implementation of National Communication Strategic Framework by national and provincial departments with the aim of identifying areas for improvements and support requirements.
Minister Nthavheni said that the first quarterly report will be tabled in the next Cabinet, and that the GCIS will share such reports with the committee as part of enhancing its oversight.
At the same time, the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Mr Kenny Morolong, said that GCIS is in the process of finalising a stand-alone media buying policy that will enable a minimum of 30% of the overall government advertising expenditure to be set aside for community media.
He said: “The media buying policy will also enable over 700 entities, 230 municipalities, 30 national government departments, and 70 provincial department and 9 provincial legislatures to comply with setting aside 30% of advertising budget for community media.”
GCIS needs R820, 281 million in the 2025/26 financial year as tabled during the debate by the Minister in the Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
Of this budget, R270, 711 million will be spread between the MDDA and Brand SA, which will be allocated R40, 296 and 229, 072 million respectively.
Ms Diko said: “We support this budget vote conditionally, critically, and constructively.”
She said that South Africans deserved a government that spoke to them, not past them; that listened as much as it informed; and a government that made its presence felt not only in times of crisis, but on the daily and quiet rhythms of people’s lives.
Justice Molafo
4 July 2025
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