Question NW1176 to the Minister of Communications
05 June 2017 - NW1176
Van Damme, Ms PT to ask the Minister of Communications
With reference to the release of a statement by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on behalf of the Black Empowerment Foundation on 20 March 2017, (a) (i) who requested that the statement be released on behalf of the Black Empowerment Foundation and (ii) what are the particulars of this request, (b) by whom was the distribution of the media advisory authorised, (c) under what mandate was this authorisation given and (d) in which other cases has the GCIS distributed communications on behalf of (i) private, (ii) civil rights or (iii) any other non-government organisations?
Reply:
GCIS’s mandate is to ensure it disseminates information to the general public. Our priority is to send out information that can be consumed by the public and members of the media are also the GCIS client base. The information that we disseminate is to empower society with knowledge and the media advisory is to offer the members of the media with a facility that provides the with information that they may wish to cover.
We assist a number of ordinary citizens through our Information Centres also the members of the media though our media database in all our Provincial Offices and National office.
(a) (i) Media Engagement Directorate and our Provincial offices, receives requests to disseminate information’s either through our media database or through our Information Centers.
(a) (ii) It may be media statements ; media advisories; general publications or face to face advisory services.
(b) Media Engagement Directorate.
(c) Mandate of the GCIS is to provide the public with information .
(d) (i)(ii)(iii) GCIS assists the public with services that are within their available resources and does not keep list of the people been assisted.