The government has overhauled its communication rules to deal with frictions within the government of national unity (GNU) as policy disagreements among coalition partners continue to test coherence within the seventh administration.
In its 2024/25 annual report, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said new executive communication protocols had been crafted to address the risk of political contestation and public contradictions by opposing political leaders within the 10-member coalition government.
The changes, approved by the cabinet in October, are designed to “foster collegiality and prevent incidents that could confuse citizens, stakeholders and international audiences”.
Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Nthsvheni said in the report the GCIS had moved to centralise message control, introducing faster co-ordination and clearance systems for ministerial statements.
‘On message’
The new protocols and a parallel communication framework “played an important role in asserting a common government message” during what it called an “unprecedented period” of public misinformation and disinformation, Nthsvheni said.
“The misinformation and disinformation campaign against SA, which included active participation of some SA organisations and their members, contributed to the improvement of GCIS agility as a government communication co-ordination machinery.”
The overhaul follows a year in which the GNU, a fragile alliance led by the ANC alongside the DA, IFP and others, has stumbled through disputes over fiscal targets, social spending and reform priorities.
By tightening procedures, the communications agency hopes to avoid a repeat of the public contradictions that have dogged the GNU since its formation. Cabinet ministers from rival parties have at times contradicted one another on key policies ranging from foreign policy to the future of the National Health Insurance scheme.
The battles peaked during the 2025 national budget, when coalition partners clashed over how to balance welfare spending with debt reduction, exposing deep ideological divisions at the heart of the new administration.
The government no longer operates in a normal communication environment given the wide-ranging divergent party political views and policies.
— National communication framework
The latest policy dispute is over the retention of BEE as part of the state’s procurement processes. The DA is challenging the Public Procurement Act, which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2024. The party has also introduced a private member’s bill to replace BEE in state procurement.
The national communication framework said these tensions were an inevitable by-product of coalition politics.
“A significant milestone in setting up the GNU was the allocation of ministerial and deputy ministerial positions to political party leaders from multiple parties,” it said.
“The government no longer operates in a normal communication environment given the wide-ranging divergent party political views and policies. This new terrain presents a communication challenge that could foster incoherent and inconsistent government messaging resulting from contestation in political and policy positions.”
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