Department of Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele is prioritising e-services for South African citizens in this financial year.
Delivering his budget vote on Wednesday, Gungubele said the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) needs to ensure full digitalisation within the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
SITA must prioritise the integration of core government services within this financial year, to facilitate seamless exchange of citizen data across departments for effective and efficient delivery of government services, he said, saying the agency needed to re-establish itself as the leading expert on ICT matters in government, rather than just being an IT procurement shop.
“Currently we have 120 e-services on the e-government portal ranging from agro-processing, exam queries, licensing and permit platforms, and Sars (SA Revenue Service) e-filling. The priority in the Batho Peleis financial year is to ensure that the department, working in conjunction with SITA, scales up these e-services and ensures full utilisation by citizens.”
Despite the challenges posed by a tough economic climate and ongoing social struggles, the ICT sector in South Africa had continued to demonstrate steady growth, he said. In 2021, the sector recorded R243.6 billion in revenue, representing an increase from the R243bn 2020. South Africa remained an attractive destination for investors seeking to engage with the ICT sector, he said.
In the previous financial year, the department said it was successful in maintaining its 970 connected sites. In addition, during that period, it said SITA connected 781 government sites in the Eastern Cape, while Broadband Infraco connected 110 Universal Service and Access Agency South Africa sites.
Furthermore, the department said it played an instrumental role in facilitating the development of the SA Connect draft Implementation Plan.
“Our aim is to enhance connectivity to government facilities such as schools, health facilities, and government offices with high-speed internet access, which enable them to serve as connectivity hubs for their users and surrounding communities.”
Gungubele said to complement the SA Connect programme, SITA would launch a National Broadband Project worth at least R6bn, that would be awarded per region and ensure that the government reduces the cost and duplication of connectivity infrastructure from municipalities up to national government level.
He said this project must also ensure that designated groups such as enterprises owned by women and youth were empowered with at least 40% value of this project, while creating opportunities for innovative locally developed solutions to find traction in the local market.
“It is important to note that while big business plays a significant role in driving growth and innovation, we should not overlook the potential of small start-ups to be game-changers in innovation, as demonstrated by success stories like Steve jobs and Elon Musk.”
According to Gungubele, lessons from Silicon Valley showed that new small enterprises could become the basis for new digital “unicorns”.
He said, inclusion was not just a moral imperative, but it was also an economic necessity.
“I would like to add that we have witnessed significant investments in data centres and cloud services providers, which would contribute significantly to the economy by enabling efficient storage and dissemination of data, as well as access to digital solutions. The country has a total of 65 data centres, making us the leading African digital economy.
National Cloud and Data Policy
“As a department, we are committed to maximising the benefits of this investment by ensuring policy certainty through launching the National Cloud and Data Policy later this year. The policy will outline guidelines for government departments to consume cloud services appropriately while adhering to data privacy and security measures agreed upon with relevant providers. This will help the government to make informed decisions and choose the best cloud services in line with our requirements and standards,” Gungubele said.
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