Vol 7, No 2 (1988)

This paper was presented to the symposium on The Communication Process of Political Negotiations at the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit on 12 August 1988. It was condensed from the forthcoming book Pursuing Justice and Peace in South Africa, published by Routledge in London. The author grate fully acknowledges financial support from the Human Sciences Research Council In the form of a senior resaerch grant for study abroad. Opinions expressed or conclusions arrived at are those of the author, and are not to be regarded as those of the Human Sciences Research Council.

The aim of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between organisational structure and communication climate. Based on a specific schedule, interviews were conducted with senior human resource managers in six organisations to obtain a of organisational structure. These organisations were chosen for their apparent differences on five structural dimensions. The communication climate within each of these organisations was then assessed by means of a questionnaire. The communicate climate patterns of the organisations were then compared by means of profile analysis. The results seem to indicate that there is indeed a relationship between organisational structure and communication climate. Specifically a more positive climate for formal communication is found with in degrees of structuring.

Political events are crucial in the political resocialisation of the youth. In this article the impact of the political unrest in the mid-1980s on the political consciousness of the Afrikaner student youth is investigated. Through a panel study of students of the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg, South Africa, trends in exposure to political events were established. Exposure occurs through direct political participation, political discourse or through the mass media. The important role of the mass media for exposure of these youths is illuminated. Attention is also focused on which media are utilised for obtaining political information. The political implications of this exposure are considered. A political world within the parameters of SABC politics: the case of Afrikaner students.

The Information society in South Africa seems to be much more complex and much less predictable than those in most other countries. In many respects it is a First World country in terms of technology, sophisticat- ed media and computerisation. From that viewpoint, it faces the same kind of complex- ities than any other technological society. On the other hand, it is also a Third World coun- try and an integral part of Africa: from that viewpoint it also has to face a different kind of complexity, namely that of languages, cul- tures, life-styles etc. This makes it difficult to assess and anticipate the effects of global in- formation trends such as information over- load, allenation and resistance, the informa- tion paradox and the Information elite. In planning an information strategy for the country, it seems that thorough analysis of the different audiences and their information needs, accompanied by a careful segmenta- tion strategy, is a very high priority. Deregu- lation and privatisation of the electronic me- dia are also advocated, despite financial difficulties and the risk of information over- load. This will call for a greater responsibili- ty and gatekeeping function on the part of communication practitioners in South Africa. Possible options regarding a deregulation policy for the electronic media in South Africa are also explored.

This study is an analysis of black and white respondents' reactions to inferior and superior role portrayals In South African multi-racial television advertisements. The study was contracted with 116 white students from the UOFS and 116 black students from the UFH. General results of similar type of studies in the United States indicated a somewhat stereotyped and partly inferior role portrayal of blacks in advertising.

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