More public relations work on SA’s image needed

IT doesn’t look like our country has public relations (PR).

We have been hit hard by negative images that are portrayed in different platforms – one will blame the media for the publicity.

But if you look at things carefully, you will see the positive role that the media is playing to paint a positive image about our beloved county.

For the media to be able to paint as many positive images as possible they need a through pass from PR.

Where is this PR to execute the through pass?

It did not take an hour, a day or weeks to dent the image, and it won’t take weeks or a year to rebrand the country.

We have been portrayed negatively on so many platforms due to the current situation, but we blame the media simply because they carry the message.

Are we not threatening potential investors and tourists with this?

This approach will end up being a continuous threat to our economy.

Surely, someone can take action against the negative image that is being portrayed about our beloved county. But who will it be? The country has been blessed with PR practitioners in different fields.

Are they really there? Who are they? What is PR?

These are the practitioners who should be painting a positive image about whoever they are representing.

They might be eager to do so, but, at times, PR is only seen as a conference and event organiser by others.

There are different organisations that were hit hard by crisis and barely coped due to a lack of PR.

As a result, you see the image ends up suffering.

The real cause of this is that PR practitioners are taking a back seat. Rise PR, don’t sleep. Corporate image is dying because of your sleep.

Mziyanda Bloro, a chartered public relations practitioner and former Prisa Eastern Cape executive committee member, Port Elizabeth