Why politicians need professional PR and Communications support

The case of my good brother Job Sikhala’s post-release predicament is one out of a tediously long series of cases of Zimbabwean politicians demonstrating the necessity of professional PR/comms support in politics.

The world has changed so fast in such a short space of time that what was a marginal virtual space is now the anvil on which a politician is either broken or made. Social media amplifies the need for professional assistance for personalities and brands from all walks of life.

It’s easy to assume one can handle it on their own since, after all, we all use social media.

This thinking isn’t uncommon among corporate leaders too, who are reticent about investing in communications and PR, but end up realising their vulnerability when they’ve already suffered a bad case of reputational damage.

For companies, this may mean financial loss, through loss of market share, key partnerships or business opportunities, or even loss of human resources or failure to recruit desired talent.

For politicians, such as Cde Wiwa, it means squandering an opportunity to leverage legitimate sacrificial suffering to build a widely respected domestic and international political profile. It means turning from hero to caricature overnight. And that is deeply saddening.

The people who surround him may be genuine, but there is little evidence they’re properly equipped to deliver the support that could have placed Wiwa on a different trajectory.

Time is great for a lot of things. For healing. For reflection. For planning. Unfortunately, time does not seem to have been used in this case for any of these purposes.

The result is a mad rush into pronouncements before investing any time in understanding the lie of the land in a season of rapidly shifting political sands.

It’s too early to draw any substantive conclusions, but it’s fair to apply this Shona proverb to capture what has happened here: Kukurumidza kumedza kutsenga kuchada! (Hastening to swallow when you’ve barely chewed!)

Chofamba Sithole is Senior Communications and PR professional| ex-Political Journalist and Editor| Chevening Scholar