Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele has defended the expenditure of nearly R750 000 to revamp the website of DigiTech, designed to collect data about digital products developed in South Africa.
The website was launched by the department in May 2022, but it was deemed not meeting the department’s specifications.
Its redesign, with enhanced security, came to the tune of R743 644.95, and was finalised in March this year.
In her parliamentary questions, DA MP Natasha Mazzone wrote to Gungubele enquiring about the name of the company the contract was awarded to redesign the website.
She also wanted to know the directors of the company that was awarded the contract.
Mazzone also asked about the justification for the cost of almost R750 000 for redesigning the website and the reasons that an outside service provider was appointed instead of the State Information Technology Agency that designed the original website.
In his written response, Gungubele said no external service provider was awarded the contract.
“State Information Technology Agency (SITA) was tasked by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to develop the website,” he said.
Gungubele also said he could not provide the directors of the company that was awarded the contract because the state-owned entity, SITA, did the upgrade of the website.
Asked about the specifications and/or requirements required in the design, Gungubele said all requirements for the solution have been included in the User Requirement Specification (URS).
He explained that the purpose of DigiTech was to collect data about digital products developed in South Africa with the aim of supporting the products’ technology enablement and promote and expand their adoption and use.
“Through DigiTech, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies seeks to promote SA-developed digital products in other markets whilst facilitating partnerships with other countries on the co-promotion of local technologies,” the minister said.
Justifying the almost R750 000 spent on the new website, Gungubele said the development of the website included project management, infrastructure provisioning requirements and software upgrade, upgrade of application software and developing the DigiTech according to the URS and updating the website with the new theme, among other things.
Cape Times