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| Scelo Mncwango, ANC general member |
Susan Booysen is a Professor in the Graduate School of Public & Development Management (P&DM at University of the Witwatersrand. Her articles are published by IOL News.
In her very first paragraph, Susan says:
Be afraid, be very afraid! The ANC is concerned, very concerned, about forces eating away at its legitimacy. It sees a sacrilegious convergence of “self-proclaimed” left and right political forces – and many analysts and commentators in between – threatening the ANC’s leadership and status.
I then quickly noticed that her article is her attempt to unpack our movement's 2015 NGC Discussion document that was released not so long ago. Something seems very wrong about how she introduces her argument as she asserts that someone needs to be warned about what the ANC seeks to achieve in the coming NGC.
Susan continues:
The ammunition will be trained ANC communicators, more state information about delivery, and control, brought about through debates and new appeal mechanisms. It seems that in lieu of legitimacy, the time of propaganda is upon us.
Susan's allegations sent me back to read through the document once again, for the fifth time to try and understand where she gets this notion that the ANC is about to unleash some ammunition that she is imagining.
This is what the document says about what Susan conveniently calls 'propaganda':
The 53rd National Conference resolved that the National Executive Committee (NEC) should develop an ANC Internal ICT Policy and strategy to drive the ANC’s administrative and political systems, ANC structures must be connected with high speed ICT services, ANC build a unified ICT capacity enabling it to engage with all its members using latest technologies including social media platforms, avail ANC content on several platforms, improve membership systems using new technologies, develop social media policy and establish a political champion to drive ANC ICT Policy and Strategy.
It goes on to say:
It goes on to say:
The resolutions correctly identify the need for the ANC to adopt the modern means of communications in its own organisational and political work so as to augment the different mass mobilisation and engagement tools it has utilised over the decades. The resolutions spoke of how the administration of the ANC, the involvement and management of its cadreship and the dynamic link with various communities can benefit greatly from adopting the modern communications tools. Importantly these tools were identified as important to mobilise the mass of the people into action advancing the democratic revolution and to deepen their interaction and involvement with the programmes and daily activities transforming South Africa.
Why is it that Susan felt the urgency to write this article warning South Africans about what the ANC intends to do in order to strengthen its communication process? What is it that South Africans must be 'very afraid' of when an organization is doing what all organizations do: to enhance their communication strategies and policies?
The DA recruited more than 1000 volunteers who sit the whole day and drive its social media messages. One of the things these volunteers are tasked to do is to spam new articles with thousands of comments each time a new articles is published on Facebook and twitter. It is clear that newspapers first notify these volunteers minutes before they post an article on their Facebook pages so that the very first comments are negative comments aimed at demonizing the our government or the ANC. If anyone posts a comment before these volunteers do, it gets deleted.
The DA recruited more than 1000 volunteers who sit the whole day and drive its social media messages. One of the things these volunteers are tasked to do is to spam new articles with thousands of comments each time a new articles is published on Facebook and twitter. It is clear that newspapers first notify these volunteers minutes before they post an article on their Facebook pages so that the very first comments are negative comments aimed at demonizing the our government or the ANC. If anyone posts a comment before these volunteers do, it gets deleted.
Well aware of this, I then too sometime to look at other articles that Susan has published before. Here is what she has written before:
Democracy Under Siege In Its Citadel
Can The ANC Afford To Ditch Number
Zuma Isn't Exactly Mr Popular
The Heaviness of Being Julius Malema
SAPS Has No Place in Politics
It was very easy for anyone to realize that Susan is actually advocating for some agenda, which distorts a very fruitful discussions in the ANC as an organization.
Her analysis is surely intended for those lazy to think, who can't read and analyze discussion documents and resolutions of the ANC but are quick to take to social media to lambast our movement.
I am reminded of a recent debate that was hosted by SABC2 on the Role of Media in a democratic dispensation. It is the same debate where the CEO of SABC, Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng made a very bold statement about media regulation. Motsoeneng came out strongly saying that print media must be held accountable in cases where they go against journalism code of ethics.
Motsoeneng further argued that if journalism it a profession that is to be taken serious and trusted, it has to operate like all other sectors by developing mechanism to deal with reckless reporting. He is of the view that self-regulation is not enough because it has failed to bring about transformation of journalism in South Africa. I fully agree with him on this one.
From the organizational point of view, the ANC must leap into the space it has not filled in a long time and that is social media space. Social media platforms are already there. The discussion document is surely on point to say that a strategy must be developed and it has to be accompanied by a clear policy on who does what and when. This must happen at all levels of the organization to ensure that our communication is indeed effective.
A clear SM Strategy will ensure that Susans of today are closed out of space because they distort the truth and discredit our movement on hourly bases.
By: Scelo Mncwango (Social Media Strategist @ Uhuru Media - 083 923 1394)
Democracy Under Siege In Its Citadel
Can The ANC Afford To Ditch Number
Zuma Isn't Exactly Mr Popular
The Heaviness of Being Julius Malema
SAPS Has No Place in Politics
It was very easy for anyone to realize that Susan is actually advocating for some agenda, which distorts a very fruitful discussions in the ANC as an organization.
Her analysis is surely intended for those lazy to think, who can't read and analyze discussion documents and resolutions of the ANC but are quick to take to social media to lambast our movement.
I am reminded of a recent debate that was hosted by SABC2 on the Role of Media in a democratic dispensation. It is the same debate where the CEO of SABC, Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng made a very bold statement about media regulation. Motsoeneng came out strongly saying that print media must be held accountable in cases where they go against journalism code of ethics.
Motsoeneng further argued that if journalism it a profession that is to be taken serious and trusted, it has to operate like all other sectors by developing mechanism to deal with reckless reporting. He is of the view that self-regulation is not enough because it has failed to bring about transformation of journalism in South Africa. I fully agree with him on this one.
From the organizational point of view, the ANC must leap into the space it has not filled in a long time and that is social media space. Social media platforms are already there. The discussion document is surely on point to say that a strategy must be developed and it has to be accompanied by a clear policy on who does what and when. This must happen at all levels of the organization to ensure that our communication is indeed effective.
A clear SM Strategy will ensure that Susans of today are closed out of space because they distort the truth and discredit our movement on hourly bases.
By: Scelo Mncwango (Social Media Strategist @ Uhuru Media - 083 923 1394)