Communications 2000: A vision for government communications in South Africa (Comtask Report)

October 1996

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Final Report of the Task Group on Government Communications to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki

• Executive Summary
• Mandate of the Task Group
• Chapter 1: How the task group worked
• Chapter 2: The context for government communications: framework and constraints
• Chapter 3: The current picture: Communications in 1996
• Chapter 4: The South African Media Environment
• Chapter 5: Development challenges
• Chapter 6: International Perspectives: Communicating in a democracy
• Chapter 7: South Africa seen from abroad
• Chapter 8: Conclusions and the way forward
• Recommendations
  • Structures
  • Functions and Responsibilities
  • Personnel and Training
  • Improving South Africa's Image in the World
  • Information Development
  • Access to Information
  • Media Environment
• Timetable for Implementation
• Submissions, Presentations, Meetings
• List of Annexures

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki

We have pleasure in submitting the report of Comtask completed according to the mandate which you established in January.

In doing so, we would like to record appreciation for the enthusiastic response which we received from hundreds of South Africans in all walks of life, and of the contributions made by professional and community organisations, and all levels of government.

The report also benefitted from the input and comments of senior officials and citizens from over twenty countries around the world, who gave generously of their time and ideas.

We would like to record appreciation for the substantial financial and technical support which this exercise received from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme.

Finally, we would like to pay special tribute to the contribution of the late Dr. Paul Lusaka, whose illness forced him to withdraw before the completion of the report. Dr Lusaka, a long standing friend of democracy and of South Africa, worked as a Commonwealth adviser during the most critical phase of our research, and made a major contribution to our work.

Mandla Langa
Convenor

Members:
David Dison
Steve Godfrey
Willem de Klerk
Raymond Louw
Stephen Mncube
Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane
Val Pauquet
Tshepo Rantho
Mathatha Tsedu

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