---
title: "Silence rules – government spokespersons should take their job more seriously"
description: "They are well-paid public servants, but diligence is the exception."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "GROUNDUP"
author: "GroundUp Editors"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/groundup-editors/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-19-silence-rules-government-spokespersons-should-take-their-job-more-seriously/"
published: "2024-07-19T12:16:42"
updated: "2024-07-19T12:16:45"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 497
---

# Silence rules – government spokespersons should take their job more seriously

> They are well-paid public servants, but diligence is the exception.

By GroundUp Editors · Published 19 July 2024, 14:16 SAST · Updated 19 July 2024, 14:16 SAST

## Key points
- Trying to get a response from government spokespersons is like trying to catch a unicorn – elusive, frustrating, and ultimately, a mythical quest for many journalists.
- Government spokespersons frustrate reporters with unresponsiveness and poor replies.
- A freelancer's experience with health department spokespersons highlights the lack of timely and courteous communication.
- Despite high salaries, many government spokespeople fail to meet basic communication standards.
- Official government communication policy emphasises the importance of timely and open access to media inquiries.

## Content

Dealing with government spokespersons is a source of intense frustration for reporters. Being unresponsive or providing poor responses has become the norm.

Here’s a typical example:

On 20 June, a freelancer reporting for GroundUp wrote to health department spokesperson Doctor Tshwale about the National Climate Change and Health Adaptation Plan. He asked three straightforward questions.

Having had no reply 10 days later — 30 June — the reporter sent the same email to Foster Mohale, the departmental director of communications.

Both Tshwale and Mohale have emails and numbers which appear on recent departmental statements.

There was no response.

On 3 July the reporter followed up with both Tshwale and Mohale with WhatsApp messages, to which he received no reply.

#### **Did not return call**

On 16 July he tried to call both numbers. Mohale didn’t pick up, but Tshwale did. He said he was in a meeting and told the reporter to call back at a specified time. The reporter did so but Tshwale didn’t pick up, nor did he return the call.

This story is not unusual. Though of course there are some very diligent government spokespersons, they appear to be in the minority. The failure of many others to respond promptly – or at all – is a widespread problem for journalists trying to get facts. Some spokespersons are high handed and rude, without the moral high ground to justify such behaviour. For example, read this [article](https://groundup.org.za/article/city-of-ethekwini-pays-millions-for-broken-toilets-and-showers/) about the City of eThekwini, in particular the response by spokesperson Gugu Sisilana.

**Read more:**[Asylum seekers in SA fear arrest and deportation, but can’t access help or documents](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-18-asylum-seekers-in-sa-fear-arrest-and-deportation-but-cant-access-help-or-documents/)

Yet spokespeople earn high salaries. Finding out precisely just how high is difficult. Government department websites are often hard to navigate and out of date. Nevertheless, as far as we can tell, government spokespeople like Mohale earn more than R1-million a year. That’s a very decent salary paid with public money. Part of their work is to respond promptly, courteously and competently to queries from reporters.

Official government communication [policy](https://www.gcis.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/Government%20Communication%20Policy%202018.pdf), for instance, notes that: “A government institution must respect media deadline requirements and endeavour to provide open and equal access to all news media.

“All media queries must preferably be acknowledged in a reasonable time that directly relates to the particular medium – whether print, broadcast or online.

“Communication channels should be kept open at all times and the media updated on any of the pending media enquiries.”

Sometimes, of course, government spokespersons may be overwhelmed with queries from the media. Most journalists – sadly familiar, from their own shrinking newsrooms, with work overload – would understand if they can’t reply at once.

But there surely is no excuse not to reply at all. **DM**

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