TRC Final Report

Volume 1

Chapter 11

Part OtherDepts

Subsection 20

■ COMMUNICATIONS

24 The communications framework was developed early in 1996.

25 One of the Department’s first tasks was to advertise for and receive presentations from advertising and communications agencies. The Commission selected Herdbuoys as its advertising agency and Siyakha Communications as its communications agency.

26 The Commission’s logo was chosen from seven designs presented by Herdbuoys. Herdbuoys also designed and produced a series of posters and stationery using the logo.

27 Herdbuoys also produced a series of radio advertisements during 1996, comprising a generic Commission advertisement, an advertisement for the Human Rights Violations Committee, an advertisement for the Amnesty Committee and an advertisement encouraging people to make amnesty applications. The radio advertising campaign ran from July to December 1996.

28 A number of other proposals were developed with the advertising agency, including taxi advertising, a commemorative stamp, tactical press advertising, a train ticket advertisement, an outdoor campaign and a Christmas advertising campaign. These initiatives, however, were not pursued as a consequence of budgetary constraints.

29 Materials developed in conjunction with Siyakha included: a Advertisements announcing the setting up of the Commission’s offices were placed in regional and national newspapers; b a generic leaflet on the Commission in the eleven official languages; c booklets on the Human Rights Violations Committee, the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee and the Amnesty Committee, translated into all languages but published only in English as a result of budgetary constraints; d a manual, with transparencies and flip-charts, to conduct explanatory workshops on the Commission and its activities; e co-ordinated workshops in various regions of the country; f posters advertising a statement-taking campaign and posters advertising the new amnesty application deadline date in early 1997; g a poster on the Commission for use in high schools.

30 Other proposals explored with Siyakha included a public participation programme, an updated pamphlet, a comic book, a radio drama and a paid magazine radio programme. However, again, the development of these proposals was curtailed by budgetary constraints.

31 In the earlier stages of the Commission’s life, an annual communications budget of R14 million was proposed. However, during negotiations with the government, this was scaled down to R6 million in the 1996/97 fiscal year and to R2 million in the 1997/98 fiscal year (excluding donor funding subsequently raised). The financial limits on communication initiatives led to, amongst other things, the consolidation of the Commission’s Media and Communications Departments into one department. It also led to criticism, particularly from organisations and lobby groups representing the interests of victims who argued, understandably, that the Commission had done too little to communicate directly with the public and with victims and survivors of human rights violations, particularly in South Africa’s remote areas.

32 After the rationalisation and reconfiguration of the two departments into one early in 1997, the Commission’s paid communications were placed very much in ‘maintenance mode’.

33 During 1997, the posters that had begun to be developed late in 1996 - advertising a statement-taking campaign and the new deadline date for amnesty applications - were produced and distributed.

34 Also during 1997, a radio advertising campaign in support of and linked to the statement-taking project was implemented. In conjunction with this, more than 400 000 leaflets calling for victims and survivors to come forward and make statements were distributed. These were distributed particularly in areas where the Commission’s regional offices felt that not enough statements had been gathered. In addition, in 1998 the Commission published a booklet in all official languages whose purpose was to report to victims, survivors and organisations on the Commission’s reparation and rehabilitation proposals to government.

35 The Commission also published an occasional newsletter, Truth Talk. This was aimed particularly at its partner organisations in the community, especially non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations. The last two issues of Truth Talk were also sent to those who made statements to the Commission.

36 During 1997, it was decided to inform students in secondary schools about the structure and work of the Commission. In conjunction with Siyakha Communications, the Media and Communications Department developed an information chart to be used by teachers when addressing classes about the Commission. The chart, generally referred to as the ‘Teacher Insert’, was inserted in a magazine called The Teacher, which is distributed to a wide range of schools throughout the country.

37 In July 1997, the Department contracted a ‘stills’ photographer to capture images of the Commission at work in the four regional offices and at hearings. The materials were to be used for Truth Talk, for a proposed in-house pictorial publication, Moments of the TRC at Work, published as a limited historical edition and for the final report.

38 During August 1997, the Department developed and produced a letter of acknowledgement1 for organisations and individuals who had assisted the Commission with the designated statement taker programme. Certificates of recognition were also produced2 and presented to all staff members as they came to the end of their employment contracts with the Commission.

39 In response to a number of inquiries from South Africa’s foreign missions, the Media and Communications Department prepared a special information package for use by diplomatic missions. The package was also made available to both domestic and foreign institutions, including visitors to the Commission’s national office in Cape Town.

40 The strategy of the Media and Communications Department during the winding-down phase was to convey the core message that the Commission wished to leave with the public as its work ended. To achieve this, in April 1998, the Department published a reparation and rehabilitation policy and proposals handbook. The handbook was published in eleven languages and had a print run of 60 000 copies. It was felt that this was one of the last opportunities for the Commission to communicate directly with victims and survivors, partner organisations in the NGO sector, the public generally and the international community and that the Commission owed them a report-back on its work.