South Africa, Dec. 3 -- Increasingly, a new kind of consultant is joining their ranks: the fractional communications leader.

In South Africa, this model is still emerging. Most organisations either hire a full-time PR or communications manager or outsource everything to an agency. Yet the trends shaping communications over the last year show clear value in bringing in a senior, part-time practitioner who can bridge internal and external teams, manage agencies, and provide strategic direction without the cost of a full in-house function. This is particularly important given that many organisations still choose between an agency or an internal comms team-rarely both.

Here are five trends that have shaped communications in 2025, and how th...