We asked every government department for comment – this is who actually responded
This article has been updated to reflect the Tourism Department’s two-week system downtime, which was only restored the day the article was published, and engagements with the National Treasury.
Government spokespeople are critical in communicating government plans, programmes, and policies and in building and maintaining relations with journalists.
However, in a recent experiment by BusinessTech, where we reached out to all ministries for comment via email, we only received a 37.5% response rate.
With 32 ministries in the seventh administration, effective and efficient communication between the media and the dozens of official departmental spokespeople/media liaison officers is essential to ensure that a full and balanced view is presented to the public.
There have been numerous editorials about the muddied relationship between some spokespeople or media liaison officers and journalists.
Various publications—such as the Mail & Guardian and GroundUp—have flagged issues with getting responses from government departments.
In 2023, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) also flagged the issue, saying that they were “concerned by the growing lack of responses to media queries, by government spokespeople.”
“Recently we have been receiving complaints from journalists about the failure of spokespeople, to either reply to questions or to provide useful information – when approached for comment. This tendency seems to be worsening,” SANEF said at the time.
Having a history of issues in the same vein, a week ago, BusinessTech reached out to 32 national government departments about their policies and issues with communications—including their average turnaround time, issues that they face that hinder effective turnaround time, and what journalists can do to help improve efficiency.
We reached out to departments that have ministers—thus we did not reach out to the Presidency—and gave an inordinate amount of time for response.
After a full week, we received only 12 responses out of 32 (a 37.5% response rate).
The table below outlines the department spokespeople, media liaisons, and communications officers who responded to us, including the time it took them to acknowledge the query and provide a response.
| Department | Acknowledged | Responded |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Education | N/A | 10 minutes |
| Health | N/A | 40 minutes |
| Trade, Industry and Competition | 40 minutes | 50 minutes |
| Social Development | N/A | 1.5 hours |
| Public Works and Infrastructure | 15 minutes | 3 hours |
| Military Veterans | N/A | 10 hours |
| Human Settlements | N/A | 13 hours |
| Correctional Services | 1 hour | 14 hours |
| Transport | 2 hours | 16 hours |
| Water and Sanitation | N/A | 24 hours |
| Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment | N/A | 36 hours |
| Petroleum and Mineral Resources | N/A | 70 hours |
| National Treasury | N/A | After publishing |
| Tourism* | N/A* | After publishing* |
| Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities** | N/A** | Unrelated response** |
** Responded to a different query sent during the same time period, but not this specific query
After the bell
Following the article’s publication, several departments contacted BusinessTech, which warrants an update or further clarification for fairness.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities had responded to an unrelated query during the week we were testing, and the Department of Tourism noted that its systems (and emails) were down for two weeks, including the week that our emails were sent.
The National Treasury contacted BusinessTech and provided a more detailed insight into its processes, including engagements with its entire media team.
It explained that queries could get lost if proper channels were not followed when submitting them, such as sending queries to a single point of contact (instead of the media account). However, it assured that all media queries directed through the correct channels are dealt with professionally and to the best of their ability. Previous queries from BusinessTech do reflect this.
The other departments have not yet given any response or acknowledgement of receipt at all.
| Responded | Acknowledged | Responded |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | N/A | Did not respond |
| Communications and Digital Technologies | N/A | Did not respond |
| Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | N/A | Did not respond |
| Electricity and Energy | N/A | Did not respond |
| Employment and Labour | N/A | Did not respond |
| Higher Education | N/A | Did not respond |
| Home Affairs | N/A | Did not respond |
| International Relations and Cooperation | N/A | Did not respond |
| Justice and Constitutional Development | N/A | Did not respond |
| Land Reform and Rural Development | N/A | Did not respond |
| Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation | N/A | Did not respond |
| Police | N/A | Did not respond |
| Public Service and Administration | N/A | Did not respond |
| Science, Technology and Innovation | N/A | Did not respond |
| Small Business Development | N/A | Did not respond |
| Sports, Arts and Culture | N/A | Did not respond |
What impacts queries?
The majority of the spokespeople said that their aim is to try and acknowledge queries as soon as possible and have the responses completed and reverted within 24 to 48 hours (some longer, some shorter), but this is dependent on many factors.
The volume of media queries received varies from department to department.
Departments that generally get a large amount of media coverage—like Health and Basic Education—receive up to 300 media inquiries a month, they said.
While 24 to 48 hours is said to be the generally aimed-for turnaround time of media queries, the spokespeople acknowledged that it often takes longer.
“When delays happen, it’s not just about us not responding, but we could also be delivering services in other parts of the work – responding to media is a small component of the actual work we do,” said one spokesperson.
“We try our level best to meet the deadlines while at the same time attending work duties with equal time pressures,” another added.
Another said that factors influencing the turnaround time include the complexity of the enquiry, availability of relevant experts to assist with responses, unclear enquiries, and enquiries that involve other departments.
They said that they have to follow protocol before releasing information, making sure that the information shared is accurate.
“All that we need as colleagues (media and spokesperson) is to be considerate and understand that some of the requested content is not readily available and needs verification,” said one of the spokespeople.
Many said that their biggest issues arise from either queries not fully being researched before being sent to them, or where they are asked to “respond to allegations that have no basis.”
Others say that the process is often slowed by queries where the journalist “confuse the difference between provincial and national departments and the mandates of each department.”
While they are often very stretched, many said that spokespeople “can do better” by writing clearer statements and greatly improving the efficiency of communication between the media and spokespeople.
They also advise that it generally takes longer to receive a response if they are contacted via email.
Left in the lurch
Overall, the response rate of our experiment shows that a majority of departmental spokespeople leave journalists high and dry, without even acknowledging the query.
That is not to take away from the many spokespeople across various departments who provide transparent, efficient and in-depth communication crucial to providing a balanced and fair view to the public (which the departments we engaged with all did in this regard).
However, this is not always the case.
While all cannot be judged by a few ‘bad apples’, especially given that there are some excellent spokespeople, poor communication (and often none at all) from many government departments hurts good journalism.
Speaking specifically about the issue, journalist, communication strategist and media trainer, Themba Sepotokele, wrote that “the role of spokespeople is to communicate government plans, programmes and policies and —most importantly — to build relations with journalists.”
“Government communicators, especially those tasked to engage with the media, are the first and last line of defence. Theirs is a 24/7 job.”
“They must display strategic thinking and then put this into practice operationally and it is important for government communicators to build and cultivate a better relationship with the media,” said Sepotokele.
“Solutions include [among others] constant engagement and media statements that are written simply,” said one spokesperson.
Update: Following the publising of the article, the GSIC issued the following statement:
Government notes the article published in the online publication BusinessTech on a recent experiment where they reached out to all ministries for comment via email and received a 37.5% response rate.
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) as the custodian of sound relations between government and media is committed to continuous improved relations with various media houses, journalists and media bodies such as the South African National Editors Forum, (SANEF), Association of Independent Publishers (AIP), National Community Radio Forum ( NCRF) and the Press Council.
The concerns raised by various stakeholders on the non-responsiveness or late responding to media queries have been taken seriously and engagements have been held to ensure a harmonious environment, however this work continues as often communicators and media liaison officers move between different organisations, thus leading to a possible lapse of communication during transitioning of personnel.
The GCIS is committed to addressing this challenge by ensuring that all communicators are oriented and au fait with good media relations practices as outlined in the government communications policy approved by cabinet in 2018.
GCIS urges media who experience challenges with media queries to contact its media engagement officials who will assist in ensuring that communicators are responding timeously with reasonable engagement between them and the journalists about deadlines and adequate responses.
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