#WPRD2025 | Sam Gqomo: PR is shaping society, it’s about time
In 2025, we’re finally seeing what many of us in the communications and impact space have long known: PR is not a spin job.
It’s a governance tool. A social development lever. A business imperative.
And in Africa, it’s becoming a force for public good, as it always should have been.
Communicate with intention
The theme for World PR Day this year may not say it outright, but here’s what I’m seeing on the ground: communications is no longer just about telling stories.
It’s about shaping systems.
And in our context — where inequality, underinvestment, and cultural erasure are real — the most powerful thing we can do is communicate with intention.
I’ve just come back from Morocco, where I met with a company that doesn’t just measure CO₂ emissions — it counters them.
By planting trees. By employing women and girls. By connecting climate action to social and cultural livelihood.
That’s the kind of PR that matters: real, lived, local stories turned into impact.
And it’s happening. Quietly, boldly, and globally.
The Social in ESG
This is the Social in ESG. Not the buzzword version — but the version where purpose-led businesses put people and planet before public image.
Ironically, that’s exactly the kind of public image that earns trust.
In a world riddled with greenwashing and “purpose-washing,” real PR is about being transparent, not trendy.
A redefinition unfold across the continent
Across our continent, we’re watching a redefinition unfold.
One where storytelling meets strategy. One where brands show up not because of public pressure, but because of public service.
Here in South Africa, we know how vital that is.
From our underfunded but deeply loved arts and culture scene, to the thriving genre of Am, we are seeing the intersection of culture, commerce, and care.
It’s a moment to invest — not just indulge.
It’s personal
This is personal. At Womandla Global Network, we’ve walked this road with corporate CSI teams, government departments, civil society orgs, and international partners.
We’ve seen firsthand how messaging can move markets, but more importantly — how it can move mindsets. And that’s the kind of PR we believe in.
On this World PR Day, my call is simple: let’s stop spinning, and start building. Let’s build messages rooted in impact, campaigns rooted in community, and strategies that honour the very people they’re designed to reach.
Good PR is no longer just good optics — it’s good governance.
For goodness’ sake, it’s about time.
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