Media partnerships are essential for outreach and awareness campaigns.
NCPD Celebrates Pro Bono Impact and Calls for Continued Collaboration
The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities thanks media stakeholders for amplifying disability advocacy and invites new partnerships ahead of critical awareness campaigns.
JOHANNESBURG, 14 October 2025 – When Dylan Mashele adjusted his headphones in the Radio Turf 103.8 FM studio in Polokwane, he wasn’t simply participating in another interview. He was part of a transformative movement demonstrating how strategic media partnerships can amplify the voices of persons with disabilities, reaching millions of South Africans at no cost to the organisations serving them.
Today, the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) celebrates the profound impact of pro bono media partnerships that have generated over 100 million impressions during September 2025 alone, with a combined advertising value equivalent of R10.5 million across August and September, touching the lives of more than 100 million South Africans across broadcast, print, online, and outdoor platforms, according to NCPD’s August-September 2025 Public Relations Report.
The Power of Partnership: Measuring Impact Beyond Rands
The numbers tell a compelling story. According to NCPD’s August-September 2025 Public Relations Report, the organisation’s strategic media partnerships delivered:
- Over 100 million impressions (combined reach) across all platforms
- 5 million in advertising value equivalent (AVE)
- 77 million impressions in September 2025 alone
- 778 media placements across social media, print, broadcast, and online platforms
- 46,619 people directly engaged through social media channels
Bernadette Rigney, NCPD’s PR Manager, emphasises that these aren’t merely statistics. Behind every impression is a person who may have learnt something new about disability rights, reconsidered a prejudice, or discovered support services they desperately needed. That’s the authentic value of these partnerships.
Celebrating Our Media Champions
NCPD extends heartfelt gratitude to media partners whose commitment to social responsibility has made this impact possible:
SABC
SABC has remained steadfast in its support, providing scheduled PSA slots worth R1.7 million in 2025, broadcasting in all 11 official languages and ensuring that disability advocacy reaches every corner of our diverse nation. From Thobela FM’s intimate studio conversations to national television broadcasts, SABC’s commitment exemplifies public media at its finest.
DStv
DStv contributed R250,000 in scheduled PSA television advertisements, bringing disability narratives into the living rooms of families across South Africa, normalising conversations about inclusion and accessibility.
Primedia and Outdoor Partners
Primedia Broadcasting and TLC Media have transformed physical spaces into advocacy platforms, with bathroom mall advertising and radio PSAs worth R124,106, reaching people in their daily routines and making disability awareness part of the fabric of South African life.
JCDecaux delivered extraordinary visibility through 178 digital billboards nationwide, whilst Jinja Outdoor’s five additional screens ensured that the vibrant faces of Casual Day participants smiled down from high-traffic areas, reaching commuters, shoppers, and families with messages of hope and inclusion.
Print and Community Media
Caxton Local Media, along with supporting media houses including Media24, Die Groot Ontbyt, Tuks FM, Radio Pulpit, THISABILITY Newspaper, and Soweto TV, have provided platforms that amplify disability stories within communities, ensuring that grassroots voices are heard and celebrated.
Community radio stations, including Groot FM, Alex FM, and Moletsi FM, have opened their airwaves, with hosts like Khensani Nyango and Mokgadi Matlebjane pledging ongoing collaboration. These aren’t transactional relationships; they’re authentic partnerships built on shared values and demonstrated impact.
The Human Dimension: Stories That Transform Perceptions
Station Manager, Florina Sebola, at SABC Limpopo immediately recognised the NCPD team when they visited – a testament to relationships cultivated through years of consistent engagement. Peter Maluleka, Station Manager at Turf FM, has committed to signing a memorandum of understanding, formalising ongoing support throughout Limpopo.
These partnerships enable organisations like the Association of and for Persons with Disabilities (APD) Limpopo to share transformative stories: young scholars like Malaka Given Mamogudi, who achieved five distinctions despite visual impairment, or Nditwani Kwinda, a person with autism who manages Autism Limpopo and breaks down barriers simply by sharing her lived experience.
Rigney notes that the moment NCPD mentioned Casual Day and showed their track record of impact, doors opened. These partnerships come at no cost because the organisation has proven its commitment to meaningful change over eight decades.
Reaching Communities Where They Are
NCPD’s social media presence has created vibrant digital communities:
- 9,500 Facebook followers with 36,900 group members
- 46,619 page reach monthly
- 1,400 Instagram followers and 2,200 TikTok followers
- Content reaching primarily 25-44-year-olds across major South African cities
The demographic data reveal an engaged, diverse audience, with women comprising 59.7% of Facebook followers – often the primary caregivers and decision-makers in families affected by disability.
A Call to Action: Partnerships for the Road Ahead
As we celebrate these achievements, NCPD invites media partners – both current and prospective – to join us in amplifying three critical upcoming campaigns:
Nappy Run
Supporting families of children with incontinence issues, this campaign addresses an often-overlooked aspect of disability support, requiring sensitive storytelling and broad reach to destigmatise the challenges faced by families.
16 Days of Activism (25 November – 10 December)
Persons with disabilities face disproportionately high rates of violence and abuse. Media partnerships during this period can highlight these intersecting vulnerabilities whilst celebrating the resilience of survivors.
Disability Rights Month (3 November – 3 December)
Culminating in the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, with the theme ‘Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future,’ this month-long observance requires sustained media attention to drive genuine societal transformation.
Rigney emphasises that NCPD is not asking for charity, but inviting partnership. Media organisations that engage with disability advocacy generate compelling content their audiences want whilst contributing to fundamental social justice. It’s journalism that matters.
How Media Can Engage
NCPD welcomes partnerships in various forms:
- PSA slots on radio and television
- Feature stories highlighting persons with disabilities as leaders, innovators, and contributors
- Digital billboard space and outdoor advertising
- Social media collaboration and content sharing
- Community radio conversations that reach local audiences
- Print media coverage that documents the realities and triumphs of disabled South Africans
For existing partners, we offer our deepest gratitude and invite continued collaboration. Your commitment has not simply filled airtime or advertising space – it’s changed perceptions, opened doors, and reminded South Africans that disability inclusion isn’t optional; it’s essential.
For prospective partners, we invite you to join a movement that’s transforming South African society one conversation, one broadcast, one billboard at a time. Together, we can amplify the voices too often silenced, celebrate the contributions too often overlooked, and build the inclusive future our Constitution promises.
Looking Forward
As Peter Maluleka’s forthcoming MOU with NCPD demonstrates, these partnerships are evolving from annual campaigns to sustained advocacy ecosystems. This is the future we’re building: authentic, long-term relationships that ensure disability rights remain at the forefront of public consciousness year-round.
When Margaret Malatji coordinates media interviews from APD Limpopo, she’s not promoting services; she’s sharing transformation stories that resonate across language and cultural barriers. When community radio hosts like Mokgadi Matlebjane dedicate programme segments to disability inclusion, they’re not fulfilling social responsibility quotas; they’re serving their audiences with stories that reflect the full diversity of South African life.
This is media partnership at its best: strategic, impactful, authentic, and transformative.
The NCPD leverages media partnerships for its publicity, and the Nappy Run TV ad below is a result of that.
