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IOL News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Digital Platforms should be appreciated as Innovative Citizen Engagement
Professor of Practice Eldrid Jordaan speaks during a fireside chat with Decode's Lorato Tshenkeng following his keynote address at the 2025 Social Media Summit for Government. Digital platforms are revolutionising citizen engagement in South Africa, bridging the gap between government and communities while addressing the digital divide, writes Matshepo Seedat. Image: Decode Communications In national government, all Ministers and Deputy Ministers are required to host 10 community engagements in a financial year, each reaching at least 1,000 people. This is to ensure government leaders are in communities building with communities. A few years ago, during the Fourth Administration of government, this was a key component of their responsibilities. So critical was this obligation that I remember compiling reports on the community engagements led by the Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for youth at the time. The Deputy Minister responsible for youth called BackChat: Youth Conversations for a Better South Africa. These conversations provided a space for young people to engage directly with government leaders about the issues about their development. The format was simple yet effective: 10–15 young people gathered around a table with a moderator who would frame the discussion and provoke meaningful dialogue on a specific topic. While the in-room participation was between a few people, the true reach of these engagements was far greater. Through partnerships with media houses such as Independent Media. As well as using then-emerging social media platforms i.e. Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) — we expanded the reach significantly. Remarkably, every Friday evening when these conversations took place, BackChat would trend at number one on X. This was a time when government treated social media primarily as a one-way channel to disseminate information and not as a space for dialogue. Yet, BackChat reared that trend by using these platforms for genuine, real-time engagement. One day, while compiling a report for Cabinet on the Deputy Minister's community engagements, it occurred to me that BackChat itself was a legitimate community engagement platform. It met all the requirements of community engagement: Young people are a community ✔️ Our analytics showed that each session reached over 3,000 people, most of them youth ✔️ Moderators ensured that questions from the online audience were incorporated into the in-room conversation ✔️ Importantly, the online audience actively engaged through likes, shares, retweets, comments, and questions. This clearly met the criteria for a reportable community engagement. However, at the time, it was dismissed—because we hadn't physically seen the people. The emphasis was on tangible, in-person interactions, and digital platforms were not yet considered legitimate sites of engagement. Fast forward to the Social Media Summit for Government, which took place on June 30 (International Social Media Day) and July 1, 2025, hosted by Decode Communications. One of the most powerful takeaways for me was a concept shared by David Vahle from YouKnow, in his talk titled: 'Digital Town Hall: How Social Listening Powers Public Service' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading This concept struck a chord. The idea that town hall meetings—long considered the gold standard for citizen engagement—are now also taking place online is not only valid, but increasingly essential. These digital town halls offer several key advantages as they remove barriers to access, allow for unfiltered, unmediated interaction between citizens and government. They are also cost-effective thereby reducing the financial burden on the taxpayer. Most importantly, they meet people where they are. That said, I am not suggesting that in-person engagement should be done away with. In Africa, and particularly in South Africa, the digital divide remains a harsh reality. Millions of citizens still do not have access to reliable internet or smart mobile devices. Data remains ridiculously expensive, and connectivity in rural and impoverished areas is inconsistent at best. This means that while digital engagement is a powerful tool, it is not yet a universal one. As government communicators we recognise that not all South Africans are online—and that digital platforms often exclude the most vulnerable. This is why hybrid models, such as the live-streamed Presidential Izimbizo that combine in-person and online attendance, are crucial. They offer a bridge between tradition and innovation, between inclusivity and progress. One of the most exciting evolutions in this space is the use of analytics to measure the depth and quality of engagement. Tools like platform insights, reach metrics, engagement rates, sentiment analysis, and audience demographics allow communicators to quantify the size and scope of participation and justify the impact of digital engagements in reporting frameworks, such as the reports that Ministers and Deputy Ministers are still expected to report on in the 7th administration. They can also assist in understanding what messages resonate with different groups and demographics, especially given the diversity of South Africans as well as track patterns in public sentiment and feedback. BackChat's analytics revealed that we were not just broadcasting messages, we were facilitating conversations. These insights should have been enough to qualify it as a community engagement. Today, with improved tools and frameworks, digital analytics can and should be integrated into the formal reporting process for community engagements. Finally, digital platforms are no longer secondary to community engagement, they are central to it. Government must embrace digital engagement, not as a threat to tradition, but as a complement to it, especially in an era where the public sentiment is expressed online as it is on the ground. At the same time, we must confront the digital divide with urgency and compassion, ensuring that our efforts to modernise do not come at the expense of inclusivity. The future of public engagement is hybrid, data-driven, and above all responsive. * Matshepo Seedat is a Communication Specialist in the Presidency. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
Business Mayor
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Bitcoin Macro Trend Oscillator Shows When To Expect The Price Top
Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed The highest standards in reporting and publishing Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio. Bitcoin's price action in the past 24 hours has been marked by a highly volatile phase that saw it briefly reach above the $106,000 mark. However, this was followed by a return to consolidation around the $103,000 price level. This intense volatility in the past 24 hours suggests that the Bitcoin price still has a long way to go before it reaches a price top. Amid this volatile movement, a new macroeconomic model, the Decode Macro Trend Oscillator (MTO), has pointed out when to expect Bitcoin's price to top this cycle. Decode's Macro Trend Oscillator Model And Its Alignment With Bitcoin Peaks The Decode Macro Trend Oscillator is a sophisticated tool designed by a Bitcoin analyst known as Decode on the social media platform X. The oscillator aggregates around 40 macroeconomic indicators, ranging from interest rates and global liquidity to industrial production and market volatility, into 17 carefully selected leading metrics. Related Reading These are then normalized and visualized as a histogram to produce a cyclical pattern that has historically aligned with Bitcoin's major tops. A close look at the chart titled Bitcoin Liquid Index on the 1M candlestick timeframe reveals that the light green histogram bars have coincided with each of Bitcoin's cycle peaks in 2013, 2017, and 2021. Source: Decode on X These peaks are marked by vertical red lines, and the transitions from deep red to green territory on the oscillator appear to offer a visual cue for the end of bearish phases and the onset of price rallies. As of May 2025, the histogram remains in a deep red zone but has begun inching upward, with the most recent bar reading at -11.47, suggesting that macroeconomic conditions may soon start to favor a bigger rally for Bitcoin. BTC Mode Configuration Fine-Tunes Cycle Top Prediction Decode's analysis goes beyond Bitcoin-specific indicators. In one of the accompanying charts of the S&P 500 Index of the 2M timeframe, a long-term comparison is made between the current global environment and the economic backdrop of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Interestingly, Decode's macro trend oscillator proved reliable in estimating periods of downturns and expansions in both instances. Related Reading In both instances, inflation pressure and declining consumer sentiment pushed the oscillator deep into negative territory for years. However, once the histogram flipped into the green, the economy and prices entered a prolonged phase of expansion. The third chart offers a more detailed view of Bitcoin's weekly trend, including an overlay of M2 money supply growth , which is another popular monetary metric. This view highlights how the Macro Trend Oscillator, when switched to a configuration Decode called 'Bitcoin Mode,' fine-tunes its sensitivity to metrics that directly impact crypto markets. In this configuration, only a few of the full 17 metrics that best identify Bitcoin cycle tops are used. As it stands, Bitcoin is still in the negative red histogram zone, even despite its rally in recent months. The first deep green histogram has yet to show up, not to mention the first light green bar that will mark the cycle peak. Based on this setup, the oscillator implies that Bitcoin still has a lot of room to run this cycle, and that a price top is unlikely to arrive in 2025. Read More Bitcoin briefly touches $25.2k amid major bullish signal At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $103,300. BTC trading at $102,999 on the 1D chart | Source: BTCUSDT on Featured image from Pixabay, chart from
National Geographic
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
The ultimate guide to Šibenik, Croatia's oldest coastal town
On the central coastline of Dalmatia, where the River Krka winds its way to the Adriatic Sea, lies Šibenik. For those in the know, the city provides a relaxed blend of history and natural beauty. It's home to two UNESCO Heritage sites — more than anywhere else in Croatia — and has long attracted TV and film producers who have made use of its honeyed stone streets, grand old buildings and dramatic natural setting. Journey through Šibenik's history, explore dramatic fortresses and sample traditional Dalmatian cuisine on a city break here in 2025. What to know While many other settlements on this stretch of coastline were founded by Romans, Greeks or other invading forces, Šibenik was founded by Slavs at least as early as 1066 AD and, as such, is considered the oldest Croatian town on the Adriatic Coast. In the intervening centuries, Venetians, Byzantines, Hungarians and Habsburgs came and went, but Šibenik has remained resolutely itself: laid-back, good-looking and seemingly unbothered by the winds of political strife. Nowadays, it's a relaxed harbour town of a little over 40,000 people, known for its architecture, restaurants and cafe culture. The town also attracts crowds for its annual events such as September's Medieval Fair and SHIP Music Festival, as well as The Croatian Travel Festival (also in September), where passionate explorers and travel writers can come together and be inspired through workshops, talks and networking opportunities. Positioned upon the estuary of the Krka River, Šibenik's waterfront promenade is lined with docked sailboats and laid-back cafes. Photograph by Decode, Šibenik Tourist Board Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a historic city, Šibenik has been used as a filming location, most notably in the fantasy series Game of Thrones, in which it doubled for the fictional city of Braavos. The Cathedral of St James featured as a prominent backdrop in several episodes of the series, as did St John's Fortress, which appeared as a fighting pit. What to do Begin your historical tour at the Cathedral of St James, one of the city's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the only cathedral in Europe built entirely from stone. The mighty basilica was completed in 1535 and features a simple altar, unadorned marble walls and carved icons and friezes. Next to the Cathedral is the Šibenik City Museum — an excellent place to learn about the city's history from the Middle Ages through to the modern era. Built over a time period of more than 100 years in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Cathedral of St James is one of Croatia's most significant architectural sites, built entirely out of stone. Photograph by ALAN GRUBELIĆ / CNTB Another of the city's major historical sights is the imposing St Nicholas Fortress, built on the islet of Ljuljevac, in Šibenik's harbour, by the Venetians in the 16th century. To visit, join a boat tour from the waterfront — after a 30-minute journey on the Adriatic Sea, you'll disembark to explore the fort on foot, with an interactive audiovisual tablet helping to bring the ruins to life. The fortress did its job: Šibenik was never again invaded from the sea. There remains a cloistered feel about the city, thanks in no small part to its position in the natural harbour — and historically, it was the fjord-like switchbacks of the Krka estuary, along with the ironclad fortifications, that protected the city from seafaring invaders. This sheltered atmosphere can be experienced throughout the city, in quiet spots like the Medieval Monastery Mediterranean Garden, on the grounds of the former St Lawrence Monastery. Grab an ice cream from the garden cafe and watch the world go by after an afternoon spent pounding the streets. Where to eat Perhaps more than any other nearby city, Šibenik encapsulates the Dalmatian ethos of fjaka (the art of relaxing and living in the now). This enigmatic quality is best experienced in the city's relaxed cafe culture and restaurant scene, which allows visitors to experience some of the very best Dalmatian cuisine. One of Šibenik's best high-end restaurants is Pelegrini, a Michelin-starred spot in the Old Town. Chef Rudolf Štefan draws on the finest produce from the surrounding countryside and nearby coast to produce dishes that remain true to the earthy roots of traditional local cuisine. The signature plate is confit duck breast with pasta in a pecorino sauce, and dishes are accompanied by a selection of the best Dalmatian wines. From casual taverns to Michelin-starred establishments, visitors to Šibenik can expect a culinary scene based on freshly caught seafood and excellent Dalmatian wines. Photograph by VALERIO BARANOVIĆ, Šibenik Tourist Board Of course, even for the most well-heeled traveller, a Michelin-starred restaurant tends to only be an occasional treat, and the city's day-to-day culinary life plays out in its cafes and restaurants. Stroll along the waterfront, and the warren of streets behind it, and take your pick from the traditional konobas (taverns) serving local wine, fresh seafood and hearty country dishes. Konoba Marenda is justifiably popular for its fried sea bass and rich goulash — be sure to arrive early to beat the crowds. Where to stay The terracotta roofs of the Old Town shelter some truly fantastic boutique hotels, such as Armerun Heritage Hotel & Residence, which sits within the historic city ramparts and overlooks the harbour and the Krka estuary. If you prefer a modern resort-style experience, try D-Resort Šibenik, located on the Mandalina Peninsula, that juts out into the bay opposite the waterfront. If you're after extra seclusion, the hills above Šibenik are home to some beautiful villas, including Villa Sunset Lady, which overlooks the vineyards and city below. There are daily flights to Split from many UK airports, including Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow. Once there, frequent buses are available from Split Airport to Šibenik (approx 1hr 30). There is a good public bus network in Šibenik provided by Autotransport (ATP). For more information, visit This paid content article was created for Šibenik Knin County Tourist Board. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial staffs. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
