PROACTIVE CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLANNING SALGA NATIONAL COMMUNICATORS FORUM

PROACTIVE CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLANNING SALGA NATIONAL COMMUNICATOR’S FORUM REGENT HOTEL, BUFFALO CITY MEMTRO DATE: 27 -28 SEPTEMBER 2018 M. NGAM ON BEHALF OF THE PROVINCIAL CORE TEAM ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

PRESENTATION OUTLINE 1. PURPOSE 2. INTRODUCTION 3. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 4. WHAT IS A CRISIS? 5. WHAT CAUSES A CRISIS? 6. WHAT IS A SOLUTION TO A CRISIS? 7. HOW TO HANDLE A COMMUNICATION CRISIS? 8. WHAT TO DO DURING A CRISIS? 9. COMMUNICATION CRISIS MANAGEMENT 10. ELEMENTS OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT 11. COMMUNICATION RULES DURING A CRISIS 12. CONCLUSION

PURPOSE • To mitigate communication risks during foreknown and unexpected events. • To protect the integrity of government through proactive and timeous communication. • To strengthen and maintain positive stakeholder relations.

INTRODUCTION The Back to Basics Programme states that: • The core services that local government provides are clean drinking water, sanitation, electricity, shelter, waste removal and roads. These are basic human rights, essential components of the right to dignity enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. • Our vision of developmental local government is that it must be the building block on which the reconstruction and development of our country and society was built, a place in which the citizens of our country could engage in a meaningful and direct way with their governemnt.

INTRODUCTION, CONT… • Local government is where most citizens interface with government, and its foundational ethos must be about serving people. • Local government has been a primary site for the delivery of services in South Africa since 1994. • We have made tremendous progress in delivering water, electricity, sanitation and refuse removal at a local level.

INTRODUCTION, CONT… • Yet despite our delivery achievements, it is clear that much needs to be done to support, educate and where needed, enforce implementation of local government’s mandate for delivery. • The transformation of the local government sector remains a priority for the current administration.

INTRODUCTION, CONT… • The National Development Plan makes it clear that meeting our transformation agenda requires functional municipalities and a capable machinery at a local level that can create safe and healthy and economically sustainable areas where citizens and people can work, live and socialise. • Our goal is to improve the functioning of municipalities to better serve communities by getting the basics right.

BACKGROUND § Violent and destructive community protests occur in the local sphere of government. § Media plays a role in setting the agenda on community protests. § These are likely to heighten towards the 2019 national and provincial elections. § We must heighten proactive communication activities as soon as possible, including crisis communication planning.

WHAT IS A CRISIS? • Is a situation that challenges the public’s sense of safety, security or integrity of government. • A crisis poses a threat to life and limb, state property and the security of the state. • Violent and destructive service delivery community protests are a case in point.

COMMUNITY VIGILANCE: PROTESTS

PROTEST ACTIONS

Service Delivery Protests by Province as of 30 June 2018

SERVICE DELIVERY PROTESTS The Municipal IQ Municipal Hotspots Monitor says that; • Service delivery protests have become a daily feature of South African life with an alarming increase in violent confrontations between protesters and police. • As a result, the opportunity for communities to engage constructively on grievances is lost. • Municipalities need to work to ensure that communication channels for such remain accessible and relevant.

SERVICE DELIVERY PROTESTS • Such protestors raise issues that are the responsibility or perceived responsibility of local government, such as Councillor accountability, the quality and pace of basic service delivery and in Metro areas, housing. • These protests may be violent impinging on the freedom of movement or property of others, including the state or peaceful, but there is a clear dissatisfaction with the management of a municipality.

WHY SERVICE DELIVERY PROTESTS? A University of the Free State (UFS) Senior Lecturer in the department of sociology, Dr Sethulego Matebesi, who recently conducted a study Titled “Civil Strife Against Local Governance: The dynamics of Service Delivery Protests in Contemporary South Africa”, to establish the main reasons behind service delivery protests, said that; “South Africa has a well established participatory mechanisms for communities to engage the authorities over any issues of concern, but at times these were not utilised resulting in people opting for protest action. ”

WHY SERVICE DELIVERY PROTESTS? Dr Matebesi adds that; “The upsurge in service delivery protests activity is reflective of the extent to which formal institutional channels for citizen engagement with the state have failed. ”

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

STRATEGIC RISK ANALYSIS Strategic analysis is; ‘… a theoretically informed understanding of the environment in which an organisation is operating, together with an understanding of the organisation’s interaction with its environment in order to improve organisational efficiency organisation’s capacity and to effectiveness deploy and by redeploy increasing its the resources intelligently. ” Professor Les Worrall of Wolverhampton Business School.

STRATEGIC RISK ANALYSIS Richard Lannon describes Strategic Analysis as an, “approach to facilitating, researching, analyzing and mapping an organization’s abilities to achieve a future envisioned state based on present realities and often with consideration of the organization's processes, technologies, business development and people capabilities. This requires a look at the present state, the future state, risk and financials and the creation of change requirements to achieve the desired outcomes. ”

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Business Dictionary defines Environmental Analysis (EA) as an “evaluation of the possible or probable effects of external forces and conditions on an organization's survival and growth strategies. ” According to PESTEL Analysis Contributor, EA is a strategic tool. “It is a process to identify all the external and internal elements which can affect the organization’s performance. The analysis entails assessing the level of threat or opportunity the factors might present. These evaluations are later translated into the decision-making process. The analysis helps align strategies with the firm’s environment. ”

METHODS OF STRATEGIC ANALYSIS PESTEL ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENT: q Political q Economic, q Social, q Technological, q Environmental, and q Legal

TYPES OF RISKS • Strategic Risks, • Operational Risks, • Reputational Risks • Organisational • Service Delivery Risks

RISK CATERGORIES • High Risk- immediate action • Medium Risk-bring to the attention of the political and administrative leadership • Low Risks-keep these under periodic review.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLANNING Key communication objectives should be; • Specific • Targeted • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Timely

TARGET AUDIENCE • Primary • Secondary • Generic • Specific

PILLARS OF A CRISIS COMMS PLAN • Budget availability • Media Campaign • Stakeholder Engagement • Product Development • Social Media Plan • Training • Ops room as a Rapid Response mechanism in enhancing coordinated responses.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT § Do not run away from the media, proactively cultivate good working relations with the media. § Once a crisis occurs, communicate proactively internally and externally. § Educate the media about government programme of action. § Organise guided media tours to projects, facilities, access to leadership, etc. § Make available printed promotional material.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT, CONT… • Do not lie, do not spin, rather be diplomatic. • Approve and release media statements promptly. • If the crisis impacts on the government as whole, an interdepartmental or government wide approach is needed. Establish a central point to coordinate all communication activities (Ops Room) • Share information with key stakeholders including employees, ratepayers, labour unions, national departments, etc. • Work with key stakeholders who will be affected by the crisis situation.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT, CONT… • Provision of communication channels; ü List of emergency numbers, ü Venue for media interviews. ü Contact details of the spokesperson/s, ü Hotline for the public. § Tailor the plan to the organisational needs and consult broadly all key stakeholders for better understanding. § Identify one key messenger during a crisis. § The spokesperson should avoid becoming the negative focus of the story instead of the message itself.

COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES • Visibility of political and administrative leadership on site • State accurate and correct information. • Define problem areas well to respond to media negative narrative, • Identify issues that need to be communicated and develop a set of key messages. • Set the agenda to move forward. • Do not speculate or withhold information as it has a way of coming out through internal media sources. • Provision of clear communication channels. • Ongoing feedback.

COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES, CONT… • No statements should be made “off record. ” • No spin doctoring. • Respond to media requests, timeously, as failure to respond implies that you have something to hide. • Direct involvement including site visits so as to be better informed.

PICTORIALS MEC COGTA with DM Bapela at Unitra Community Radio 33

PICTORIALS MEC at Umhlobo Wenene on initiation season 34

Launch of the CWP in Ingquza Hill Municipality, 35

COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS HOW BROADCAST CAMPAIGNS WHAT WHO COMMUNITY RADIO KEY SAGES S ME SOCIAL MEDIA IZIMBIZO PUBLICATIONS MEDIA BRIEFINGS 36

EVALUATION The evaluation must include; § Damage to the image of the organisation. § Measure the objectives as stated in the plan. § Lessons learnt in handling the crisis § Make follow up to heal divisions, rebuild public confidence and restore integrity of government. § Build a broad support base to proactively deal with community issues. § Rebuild community relations to maintain social stability.

CONCLUSION “We have been promised housing since 2010. People keep getting bluffed that houses will be built within 10 months but nothing happens. Politicians make promises for our vote but don’t deliver. We are sick and tired‚” Jabulo Motsotsi‚ a resident of Banana City‚ Gauteng Province. “I think we need to realise as leaders that when we make promises to communities we need to honour those promises. ’’ Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane.

THANK YOU