Five years as a government communicator: this is my story.

It's a Friday in September. We are at The George Hotel in Manzini where the Prime Minister, His Excellency Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini (may his soul rest in peace), will be addressing young people and guests at the Junior Achievement (JA) Youth Dialogue. We are preparing to start live updates of the event as it happens across government social media. 

Suddenly, my boss, the then Government Spokesperson and mentor, Sabelo Dlamini, walks up to me and says, "Ye Zondi, please draft an Independence Day statement that the Prime Minister will record as soon as this event finishes." I've never written anything for the Prime Minister before. I am certain that I cannot do this, but before I can even protest, uMlangeni is gone.

He comes back and I realise quickly that this is not up for debate. Soon, we are discussing the themes the statement has to focus on and moments later, I'm typing away in what feels truly like the deepest of ends. Am I really writing an Independence Day statement for the Head of government? Anyway, it's not even the time to reflect. 

Moments later, I send the draft via WhatsApp to uMlangeni, who makes his corrections and then sends it to the PM. Word comes back, the PM has approved it. At the end of the event, uMlangeni takes me to a holding room that has already been secured by the PM's security, where we set up our camera. Soon after, the PM walks in and we start recording him reading that statement I had just drafted moments ago. Whoow! Let me pause for a moment. That's a long introduction.

Anyway, let me go back to the beginning just a bit. Five years ago this month I joined the Civil Service as a government communicator based at the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs- the first communications person in the Ministry's history. It's amazing to look back at everything that has happened over this period and think it has only been five years. 

Getting the job itself was a true marathon. It took a total of roughly 10 months. I applied in November 2017 and eventually officially started in September 2018. In between, there were three interviews, two of them at Cabinet Offices, the seat of government. The last was at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) offices where a senior lady working there saw me arrive wearing just a blazer without a tie and saved me. She frantically went office to office and eventually found a tie for me from one of her bosses. She was certain I wouldn't have been taken seriously at that interview and I believe her. I should find her.

At the beginning, I thought my role would only be confined to the business of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, my base. But as time went by, I was privileged to get more involved in government’s wider communication initiatives. And that came with a lot of learning and a fuller understanding of what government does in a variety of fields including health, agriculture, education and more.

Soon, I found myself working on most of the Prime Minister's activities, including press briefings and tours. From there, it escalated to Head of State events including Sibaya and Umhlanga. COVID-19 was a particular point of growth. I was lucky to have been there when we piloted the first ever livestream on government socials and hear the Prime Minister give positive feedback about it. 

I worked at that momentous press briefing on 17 March 2020 when a National Emergency was declared. To this day, I have never seen a press briefing as highly anticipated as that one. Usually, media houses will send reporters to briefings. That day, I remember several editors were also present. For weeks during the early days of the pandemic, we would work on several press briefings a week. It was relentless. Later on, it was heart-warming to see how some of the content we pushed on our socials helped with the national COVID-19 vaccination uptake.

There have been many more surreal moments like one afternoon in June 2020 when uMlangeni called me to get to Cabinet offices. When I got there, he told me that the PM (AM Dlamini) would be addressing an international meeting virtually from his office and we needed to get pictures of it for our socials. It didn’t initially click to me that I would be the one doing that. A few moments later, he led me into the PM’s office, my first and only time in that hallowed of offices. In as much as I was in there to work, at the back of my mind, I could not miss the sense of where I was. For about 15 minutes in that office, it was just the three people: the PM, the Government Spokesperson and this other guy from Sihhoye. I have never forgotten that feeling.

Perhaps the defining factor in my time in the Civil Service has been the outstanding bosses I've had, both at the Press Office and at the Ministry. I was 22 when I joined the Civil Service back in 2018; evidently young. But from the get go, my bosses gave me their full and unwavering trust; throwing me to the deepest of ends, involving me, listening to me, giving me a lot of their time and guiding me. Ultimately, that has made this period truly rewarding. 

From Hon. Harries Bulunga, Prince Mlayeto, Mr. Nhlanhla Motsa, Ms. Nanikie Mnisi, Mr. Sabelo Dlamini, Mr. Percy Simelane and Ms. Thabile Mdluli- I have enjoyed learning from exemplary leaders. I have learnt what it means to serve and what it means to conduct oneself with decorum as is required of us serving the public. During my early days in the Ministry, the P.S, umntfwaneNkhosi, would call me regularly just to ask me how I was finding life in the workplace. But beyond these amazing bosses, I have also met amazing colleagues working across different roles in government.

Most importantly, however, I love the interaction with fellow emaSwati that this job brings. It feels incredibly fulfilling to see a fellow liSwati access and benefit from a government service through the information that you played a role in providing. On a regular basis, I will get calls and texts from emaSwati asking about different public services or just public information. It is this that motivates me. As a government communicator, I believe I have a role to play in connecting our people with the information and services they need in their daily lives. 

If I can help make an elderly person in Sihhoye aware when they will receive their elderly grant or a young person in Gege aware how they can access the Youth Fund; that, to me, feels like the apex of serving and is truly fulfilling. I am honoured to wake up every day and have the opportunity to contribute in my own little way to making government policies understandable, making public services much more accessible and most importantly, ensuring that the public’s voice is reflected in what government does.

Do I love what I do? Absolutely, yes. I am privileged to be in this position to serve our people. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I believe, firmly, that governments can and should be a force for good in society. As a government communicator, I believe I have a role to play in realising this.

I have no idea what the next five years have in store but I will try my best to enjoy them as I have the first five!

 
By: Sibongiseni Zondi

NB: Sibongiseni Zondi writes this blog in his personal capacity. The views expressed here do not represent the views of his employer or any other party.