Zebaldt Ngaruka
Tauno Natangwe Iikela is a public relations (PR) practitioner with over 14 years of experience working in the public sector, both at operational and supervisory levels. He joined the public service early in 2012 and was exposed to it while still a student at the University of Namibia (Unam). As part of his undergraduate studies, he was required to do an internship, which he did in the media liaison unit of the then Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry (MAWF) for one year. “So, before I formally joined the public service, I was a student and an intern,” he said. Iikela is currently employed by the Omaheke Regional Council (ORC) in Gobabis as a senior public relations officer.
He obtained an Honours Degree in Media Studies from the University of Namibia with specialisation in public relations and industrial psychology.
His first formal job in public service was in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, where he served as an information officer at the Omaheke Regional Office in Gobabis.
As a senior public Relations officer at ORC, Iikela is responsible for two main responsibilities, firstly, developing and implementing internal and external communications plans for the council.
“This includes production and editing of official publications, production of promotional and publicity material, coordinating public and stakeholders’ engagements, drafting media releases and responding to media and public enquiries, managing the website and developing online content, to mention a few,” he said.
Secondly, Iikela oversee the coordination of Council meetings, where he leads a team of three staff members.
“This includes supervising the arrangement and administration of Council and management meetings as well other official events. I also provide guidance and maintain discipline within the public relations meetings section,” he added.
Asked why he chose to work in the public service, Iikela said he never dreamed of working for the government.
“To be frank, when I was doing my internship at the MAWF, my supervisor asked me whether I wanted to work for the public or private sector, and I told her, without hesitation, that I preferred the private sector as I believe it offered more job satisfaction,” Iikela said.
As fate will have it, he found himself in the government, where he has been his whole career. In hindsight, he believes that he would not be a perfect fit for the private sector as it is more profit-driven while he values helping people.
“I find that providing access to information about public services for the benefit of communities to improve their livelihoods more rewarding,” he explained.
On how his expertise is beneficial to the public service, especially to the ORC, Iikela said his background in information dissemination and community engagement helps ensure that the public receives clear, accurate, and timely information about Council projects, decisions, and services.
“This reduces misinformation through proactive communication. I help the Council to maintain transparency, which builds trust between Council and the community,” he said. As a PR professional, Iikela also helps the Council to present itself as accessible, responsive, and accountable.
He stated that a positive public image is essential for public participation, investment interest, and overall regional development.“My experience has further equipped me to improve internal communication within the Council for smoother service delivery and bridging the information gap between the public, government and stakeholders,” he added.
He also said that he has established firm media relations, which have resulted in many news stories promoting the Omaheke region. “I manage how the Council interacts with the media by issuing media releases, speeches, and communication materials, ensuring consistent, positive, and factual messaging. This ensures the council’s activities are well understood and well represented,” said Iikela.
Challenges
On the most challenging part of his work, he said PR in government, especially in Regional Councils, is being treated as an operational function rather than a strategic one, which is one of the most persistent and structural challenges he faces.
“As you can tell from what I mentioned earlier, my role is more reactive and tactical, involving day-to-day tasks. I simply execute what management decides as opposed to playing a proactive and advisory role by anticipating public reaction, shaping policy messaging from the outset, and managing reputational risk to build public trust,” he said. His role is considered a messaging delivery mechanism and a ‘firefighter’ of sorts, rather than a strategic governance tool and an ‘architect’.
Trying to find a balance between two very distinct functions: public relations (PR) and meetings administration is another major challenge Iikela faces.
“As a sole PR official in the Council, it can be quite demanding to execute daily PR task from media monitoring, drafting media releases, to writing content for the website and other online platforms as well as covering events and producing newsletters, while overseeing Council and management meetings and ensuring meeting agendas and minutes are compiled as per guidelines and standards,” he explained.
However, he said that he has a very dedicated meetings administration team which makes his responsibility lighter.
Job satisfaction
The most satisfying part of his work is the real, tangible impact his job has on people’s lives. Iikela said that, compared to the private sector, where success is usually measured by sales figures, brand sentiment, or media impressions, in government, the metrics are more human.
“In government PR, we deal with problems that humanity faces – access to livelihood and upliftment opportunities for those in need. Government is inherently distant,” he said. Iikela added that many people only interact with the PR when something goes wrong. “It is, therefore, my responsibility to close that gap by proactively providing information to people and making them feel seen,” he said.
He further said that when someone visits his office or sends a message or email enquiring about a service, the satisfaction they portray after being assisted gives him pleasure, as he believes that democracy only works when people feel informed and heard.
Iikela’s work-related accomplishments or memorable moments that he is proud of as a public servant include successfully developing the Council’s first communication strategy and convincing the Council to fund it annually.
Most of the funds were allocated to the regional newsletter, a tool he uses to inform communities about livelihood opportunities in the region.
“This is in addition to other communication tools such as media releases, stakeholder reports, advertisements, social media and website,” he said.
Advantages
Besides the human aspect and job satisfaction, Iikela said the government offers many capacity-building and professional development opportunities.
He said working for an institution that has limited roles, particularly in Regional Councils, gives one an opportunity to have a diversified skillset, from procurement, planning, budgeting, project management, to performance management, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder management.
“You may not be an expert in all these fields, but having an expertise in them helps one navigate this bureaucratic environment,” he said. The PR practitioner also mentioned that the government offers excellent benefits such as pension and retirement benefits, highly subsidised medical aid which continues into retirement, and a renowned housing scheme.
“Work-life balance with plenty of annual leave days is another advantage I enjoy,” he added.
Achievements
In his current employment, he coordinates high-level delegations abroad, and he facilitated several missions to Botswana, where the Council discussed areas of cooperation with its neighbouring counterpart, the Ghanzi district council.
From these efforts, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding in August 2019 with the aim of exchanging experiences and skills in matters related to social, economic and physical development.
Iikela has established strong media relations, resulting in several news stories promoting the region.
A notable example, he mentioned, is a media report which he wrote about a community-based housing project in the region initiated by the Council’s former chairperson Ignatius Kariseb, which was published in three newspapers in June 2018 and managed to solicit sponsorships amounting to N$600 000 from the private sector. “This project aims to replace houses constructed with plastic sheets with 30 t0 60 decent brick houses per year,” he stated.
Iikela said he will continue to serve in public service for as long as he feels that he still has a lot to accomplish.
“I mentioned earlier that PR in government, especially in Regional Councils, is treated as an operational function rather than a strategic one. I believe that it is up to the PR practitioners in government to change this by continually advocating for structural recognition,” he said. He said they have been and will continue to advocate for PR representation in management, upgraded job classification, more PR positions and integration of communication into planning processes.
“I do believe that, with time, we will succeed, but this requires us to remain the public service until we succeed,” said Iikela.
Stereotyping of public sector
On the misconception that people working in public institutions are unproductive and inefficient, Iikela disagrees with the sentiment, saying that the misconception is inaccurate.
“I understand why this stereotype exists, but it overlooks the reality. Public institutions operate under some constraints which can slow processes, such as strict legal frameworks, budget limitations, complex administrative procedures, and high-level public accountability,” he said.
These, Iikela said, do not reflect the capabilities or work ethic of the people doing the work, but rather systematic challenges, including bureaucratic processes and long approval channels.
The PR practitioner added that many civil servants are highly skilled and deeply committed. “Public sector work demands greater integrity, patience, and dedication because we must serve communities fairly and in the interest of the public. We are required to innovate within these limitations, often going beyond our job descriptions to ensure progress,” he reasoned.
-zngaruka@yahoo.com