Amelia De Ridder

Internal communications

• Partnered with senior leaders and business units to understand organisational priorities, risks and audiences, translating these into clear internal and external communications strategies and messaging.
• Provided high-quality, well-considered communications advice to support delivery of internal work programmes and strategic initiatives.
• Developed and delivered communications plans aligned to organisational objectives, overseeing implementation to ensure clarity, consistency and impact.
• Drafted and edited internal communications content, including articles for internal newsletters and contributions to the MPI Director-General’s organisation-wide newsletter.
• Prepared key messages, talking points and speaking notes for senior leaders to support internal engagement and alignment.
• Reviewed and edited reports and other content for print and online publication, ensuring accuracy, clarity and alignment with organisational standards.
• Collaborated with digital, social media, web and publications teams to ensure integrated, audience-focused communications across channels.

External communications

• Developed and implemented communication strategies to enhance stakeholder engagement and awareness.
• Delivered expert issues management, crisis communications and media advice in fast-moving and politically sensitive environments.
• Provided on-the-ground communications support during Cyclone Gabrielle 2023, contributing to MPI’s response and ensuring timely, accurate information was shared with stakeholders, media and the public.
• Engaged with external stakeholders to promote MPI messaging, ensuring content was shared effectively through partner channels.
• Supported MPI’s presence at high-profile events such as the National Agricultural Fieldays, delivering targeted communications and stakeholder engagement.
• Led and supported external communications activity, including media relations and publicity for major government initiatives such as the One Billion Trees programme.
• Drafted and issued press releases, media statements, key messages and Q&As to support proactive and reactive media engagement.
• Managed reactive media enquiries and proactively identified and pitched stories aligned to organisational priorities.
• Provided communications support to Ministers, including drafting media responses, talking points, speeches and speaking notes, and advising on media engagement and reputational risk.
• Supported the business with copywriting across a range of products, including booklets, guides, case studies and web copy, ensuring content was accessible, accurate and fit for purpose.

• Provided strategic communications and public relations support to the campaign team, ensuring consistent and engaging messaging across platforms.
• Developed and refined social media content, including infographics and posts, to increase candidate visibility and voter engagement.
• Edited and enhanced campaign materials, including pamphlets, advertising collateral, and press releases, ensuring clarity and alignment with campaign messaging.
• Captured and documented campaign events through photography and video for publication across social and traditional channels.

• Organised, recorded, and edited actuality interviews for all drive-time & actuality programmes.
• Planned drive-time programmes & compiled run-sheets and scripts for presenters.
• Sourced news and compiled news bulletins.
• Read on-air news bulletins.
• Radio Pulpit is a national radio station launched in 1981 with a listenership of around 600,000 from various population groups.

• Contracted to research, write, and curate engaging content on nutrition, health, and wellbeing topics for company’s online channels.
• Medihelp is one of the five largest private healthcare companies in Southern Africa.

• Wrote profiles on prominent figures and celebrities.
• Contributed to fashion, beauty & health pages.
• Get It Pretoria is a local community glossy magazine focusing on lifestyle news and neighbourhood trends. It is the longest running magazine of its sort in Pretoria.

• Solely responsible for the hard news content of two newspapers’ (Rekord East and Rekord Far East) print and digital platforms weekly, including front-page story and photo.
• Wrote between two to five breaking local news, feature pieces and human-interest stories for publishing daily.
• Proofread and oversaw layout of newspapers.
• Reviewed junior journalists’ work before publishing.
• Managed various social media channels and uploading daily content. This included managing and updating the Rekord website (WordPress) with latest and breaking news stories.
• Rekord is the largest print newspaper in Pretoria/Tshwane, delivering community news to nearly 288,000 households.

• Sourced and reported on national news, including celebrity and entertainment news stories.
• SONDAG was an Afrikaans tabloid focused primarily on news within communities across the Gauteng, Free State, KZN and Northern provinces. It had a circulation of mid-thirty thousand.

• Reported on breaking local and regional news stories.
• Wrote exclusive feature pieces and advertorials.
• Wrote weekly profiles of community business leaders and prominent community figures.
• Wrote and revised newspaper advertisements.
• Far North Bulletin is an independent community newspaper with a readership of 58 000.