South Africa is right to prioritise doctors, engineers and scientists. But if skills alone built national competitiveness, countries like Cuba and Iran would already be global powerhouses. First-world countries are not perceived as advanced only because of their technical expertise, but because of how effectively they communicate progress, stability, and competence.
While science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills are crucial for the development of a country, good public relations (PR) gives voice to innovation, encourages public trust and bridges the gap between scientific advancements and societal understanding.
For South Africa’s economic growth, combating high youth unemployment and bridging the critical skills gap, the STEM industry is essential. While precise aggregates vary, sectors heavily reliant on STEM skills (manufacturing, ICT, finance/business services) represent a substantial share of GDP, highlighting their importance and vital role.
Research and development (R&D) expenditure remains low at around 0.62% of GDP (HSRC/DSTI, 2023/24), well below the OECD average of 2.5–3%, although modest growth has been observed in recent years.
Innovation alone doesn’t shape global confidence
However, innovation alone doesn’t shape global confidence; communication does. Public relations goes far beyond just media coverage, events or publicity. It is also about national branding: how South Africa sets itself apart and creates a recognisable global identity.
PR creates a trademark identity, amplifies progress, manages reputation, controls narratives, builds trust and provides crisis communication. In this way, it becomes a strategic amplifier of development, ensuring that achievements in areas such as STEM, healthcare, and infrastructure are not only realised but also communicated effectively to inspire confidence, attract investment and strengthen South Africa’s global standing.
Additionally, countries are not only judged by what they do, but by how their stories are told. These stories build a national persona, shaping how a country is viewed from the outside and influencing investors, tourists, global media and strategic relations with foreign governments.
How a crisis is communicated
This means that GDP alone does not influence investors; it’s the stability, governance, transparency and how a crisis is communicated. For tourists, safety is often more important than experience, while cultural miscommunication can further shape perceptions. With good PR, we define ourselves rather than the global media defining us.
This, however, does not mean lying about what is currently happening, nor does it mean only writing about the good things, but rather balancing the two. The alarming crime rates, persistent inequality and governance challenges must be acknowledged alongside the country’s achievements.
Effective PR does not erase these realities but contextualises them, showing both the problems and the proactive measures being taken to address them. By communicating transparently, South Africa can demonstrate resilience, accountability and a commitment to progress.
We should not allow negative headlines to become the national brand.
PR sidelined as a skill
Despite its strategic importance, PR is still sidelined and not recognised as a critical skill in the national development framework. Evidence from the Identification of Skills Gaps in South Africa 2023/24 report and the National Critical Skills List (2023/24) shows that the majority of prioritised roles, over two-thirds, are in engineering, ICT, health, and data science.
Core PR and strategic communication roles remain largely absent, despite broader policy reports acknowledging gaps in communication, active listening, and persuasion. Funding and SETA bursaries overwhelmingly prioritise engineering, ICT, and health sciences.
This reflects a misguided view of PR as a ‘soft’ skill rather than a strategic one. The impact of such a theory can be seen in weak national messaging, reactive crisis communication, and fragmented public trust. More importantly, it also limits national competitiveness.
Beyond national image and policy frameworks, the sidelining of PR has direct consequences for South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. Strategic communication, public relations, digital storytelling, public affairs and reputation management all create accessible entry points for young graduates.
When PR is excluded
These roles are essential not only for government and large corporations but also for small businesses, start-ups, tourism operators, and entrepreneurs who rely on visibility and trust for survival. When PR is excluded from national priority and funding, the country underutilises a generation of strategic thinkers, media practitioners, and communication professionals.
South Africa must rethink how it defines ‘critical skills’. There’s no denying the importance of the STEM sector for economic growth.
However, innovation without communication limits impact. Government, policymakers, and education and skills bodies need to see innovation complemented with communication. The consequences of innovation without effective communication include a lack of narrative control, continued mistrust, and global misinterpretation.
Ultimately, a nation that cannot communicate its progress with clarity, credibility and confidence will struggle to convert development into trust, investment, and long-term growth.
Rethabile Molehe is a third-year public relations student at Vaal University of Technology.
