Abstract
The rise of the digital era has redefined democracy and continues to change communication processes. Communication changes include how the government strategically engages and communicates with its stakeholders, including national budget consultations in the case of the South African National Treasury. Little has been found in the scholarly literature on participatory budgeting processes in South Africa. However, there are some studies relating to participatory budgeting (PB) processes in Brazil. Furthermore, there has not been a communication audit to establish whether participatory budgeting is effective in the organisation's quest for effective stakeholder engagement. Therefore, the study explored the effectiveness of government communication channels when engaging stakeholders in national budget planning and consultation.
The study used a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews to explore different perspectives and insights of the institutions of higher learning and the National Treasury's officials about the budget outreach programme. The study found that the external stakeholders of the National Treasury have a clear understanding of the budget outreach programme. However, participatory communication as a strategy is lacking in the budget outreach programme. Stakeholders were never allowed the opportunity to provide feedback, and the programme only focuses on the institutions of higher learning, not the public in general. Therefore, the study established that there is limited participatory budgeting and public participation. The study recommended the National Treasury budget outreach programme should broaden the scope of its communication strategy through the use of technology and different languages, and inclusion of various stakeholders such as the general public.
Keywords: Strategic communication, Stakeholder engagement, Stakeholder empowerment, Participatory budgeting, Public Participation, Government Communication, Communication channel.