Description

ASSIGNMENT 03

QUESTIONS

ASSIGNMENT 03: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
DUE DATE:
28 May 2026 23:00 PM

Assignment Instructions

• Read the Eskom scenario carefully. Answer all the questions.
• Use concepts and theories from COM1513 study units 1–5.
• You MUST properly cite the study units in your answers
• Your assignment examples and application need to be based on or refer to Eskom.

Eskom – Communicating Through Crisis and Transformation

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, South Africa’s state-owned electricity utility, has been at the centre
of national crisis for over a decade. Persistent load‑shedding (planned power cuts) has damaged
the economy, eroded public trust, and created intense political and social pressure. Eskom
serves multiple stakeholders: government (as sole shareholder), employees (over 40,000),
labour unions (NUM, NUMSA, Solidarity), business and industry bodies, civil society, and the
general public (about 60 million people).

In 2023–2025, Eskom launched a new corporate communication strategy aimed at rebuilding
credibility. Key elements included:

• Weekly System Status briefings by the Generation and Transmission heads, broadcast
live on SABC News and social media (Twitter/X, Facebook).
• A call centre and WhatsApp chatbot for customers to report outages and receive
restoration times.
•
Internal WhatsApp groups for shift workers to coordinate maintenance – but managers
complained that unofficial “grapevine” rumours often outpaced official messages.
• A brand campaign titled “#PowerThroughIt” featuring stories of small businesses using
generators and solar – but critics accused Eskom of normalising load‑shedding.
• A Corporate Social Investment (CSI) project in Mpumalanga: planting trees around power
stations and funding a community health clinic near Kendal. The CSI report used the slogan
“People, Planet, Profit”.
• Management communication that frequently used technical jargon (“unplanned capability
loss factor”, “partial load losses”), which confused ordinary citizens.

Internal challenges include:

• Downward communication that is slow and bureaucratic; memos from the CEO take days
to reach technicians

.
SECTION A

QUESTION 1

The scenario mentions vertical (downward/upward) and horizontal communication problems.
Analyse these problems in detail. For each direction, propose one communication intervention that
would improve flow, justifying your proposal with reference to communication theory (e.g.
transmission vs transactional models).

(10)

QUESTION 2

Identify and analyse two examples of informal communication in the Eskom scenario. Explain how
the “grapevine” affects internal coordination and employee morale. Use at least two concepts from

QUESTION 3………………

QUESTION 4…..