IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Smart surveillance and AI can give impetus to SA’s digital transformation process, and although budgets are constrained, there is a clear opportunity for government to leverage the technology to support its ICT and telecommunications objectives.

This is according to Rudie Opperman, manager for engineering and training, MEA at network solutions provider Axis Communications.

In March 2020 SA faced an unprecedented challenge as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. With the imposition of a nationwide lockdown, almost every human endeavour switched from being physical to virtual. For many the conversion was effortless. For others, however, the switch to a predominantly digital world only served to further deepen prevailing divides.

As a corporate social investment (CSI) practitioner with a keen interest in facilitating the active economic participation of people through education, I am constantly struck by the frustratingly slow pace of meaningful change in many South Africans’ lives. Notwithstanding the grave socioeconomic implications of certain Covid-19 decisions, the pandemic provides an opportunity for meaningful engagement around innovative options to bring about much-needed, broader societal transformation.

Introduction

The ability to electronically perform transactions between individuals, and individuals and public bodies, has transformed the way business is conducted and the manner in which services are rendered to members of the public. In recent years, laws have been developed to provide a framework in which such transactions can take place as legitimate and lawful alternatives to transacting in the “normal” course. This article provides a brief overview of electronic transactions and communications with public bodies and a consideration by individuals when engaging these e-services in South Africa.

Gauteng government funds half of e-toll shortfalls.

Provincial government is to contribute a total of R123 million towards the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), of which the contentious e-tolling system is used to pay for.

In presenting her Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance and e-government MEC Barbara Creecy said this would fund at least half of the shortfalls on the project, which had occurred through its reduced tariff rates for motorists.

Gauteng will spend R123m in 2015 to subsidise an e-toll fees gap which occurred as a result of the reduced user charge dispensation, it announced on Tuesday.

Finance and e-government MEC Barbara Creecy announced this during her mini budget speech for Gauteng.

The total provincial budget increased by R2,1bn from R95,4bn appropriated in March to R97,5bn during the adjustment budget process.

Government intends to connect 1.5 million households in rural and township areas by the end of the year to the internet, enabled by Wi-Fi hotspots.

Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, said government plans to connect 5.5 million households in rural and township areas to Wi-Fi hotspots in the next three to four years.

Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled a broadband infrastructure project to promote Internet access and facilitate delivery of government services digitally to residents in the Eastern Cape.

The OR Tambo broadband project was launched in the Eastern Cape's Mhlontlo and King Sabata Dalindyebo municipalities on Friday.

Plans are afoot to have all 4m citizens of Johannesburg connected to free Wi-Fi within five years.

Plans are afoot to have all 4m citizens of Johannesburg connected to free Wi-Fi within five years.

Zolani Matabese, head of broadband for the City of Johannesburg, said a thousand hotspots for access to the Internet would be installed around the municipality by year-end.

In Abu Dhabi, eThekwini's delegation also met with high-ranking officials and innovation leaders in the mobility and digital governance sectors.

In a dynamic push to position Durban as a leading African hub for smart infrastructure, mobility innovation, and sustainable urban development, the eThekwini Municipality has launched a high-level international mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This strategic diplomatic and business initiative, spanning 16 to 19 June 2025, is led by eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele, and marks a pivotal step in expanding global partnerships aligned with the city’s future-forward development goals.

‘We will work with the e-government department to further refine and improve the online application system.’

The Gauteng department of education will continue to use the online application system for 2018 admissions.

This is depite the demands of several parents that the old system be reinstated after thousands of pupils were still not placed on the first day of the new academic year.

Tshimologong, the recently launched Digital Innovation Hub in Johannesburg's inner city, has received millions in contributions from reputed multinationals and South African ICT companies.

Ten strategic founding partners have ploughed upwards of five million rands each into the newly built precinct which plans to incubate high-tech startups, commercialise research and develop high-level skills among students, working professionals and unemployed youth.

The department was expected to analyse the potential cost and timeframes, besides others, of the proposed project, and would initiate wide consultations before moving ahead with implementation.

The roll-out and process had not yet started, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday in a post State of the Nation address briefing.

CeBIT 2013 shone the spotlight on the key trends and innovations in the digital economy and there were also exciting contacts to be made. This event has also long been the largest career market in the high-tech sector.

According to a study by the German Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom) and applied research and development organisation Fraunhofer, 45% of companies are already reporting that their current staff are overextended owing to a lack of human research resources. Twenty-six per cent had to turn down contracts as a result, 9% were unable to complete certain projects and 8% report losing customers as a result of this situation.

It will take a century for a poor household to tweet its way out of poverty. That’s a very long time for anyone wondering where their next meal is coming from. But it’s a significant new finding because it proves once and for all that social media and access to information and communication technology (ICT) is a pathway out of poverty.

For the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has placed communications technology in the epicentre of modern human activity.

Education and information dissemination has also assumed new form. Prompting a massive uptake on new mediums of teaching since millions of learners and teachers were unable to physically attend school. This gave rise to what is now known as the great digital divide. A situation whereby high levels of technological illiteracy and other issues of computer proficiency are causing further disparities between urban and rural schools.

• The Gauteng Department of eGovernment is rolling out free WiFi to several Johannesburg hostels including Diepkloof, Alexandra, Orlando West, and others.
• The initiative connects these hostels to the Gauteng Provincial Network, aiming to provide free internet for education, employment, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and government services
• Part of the Department of eGovernment’s R1.5 billion budget is for expanding free public WiFi across the province.

The Gauteng Department of eGovernment, responsible for the province’s digital infrastructure, has announced that it will be rolling out free WiFi to hostels in the City of Johannesburg.

Government spent R14bn on ICT in the 2015/2016 financial year, with limited growth expected through to 2018/2019, according to a new report.

South Africa’s government spent R14bn on information and communications technology (ICT) in the 2015/2016 financial year, with limited growth expected through to 2018/2019, when spending is projected to reach R15,3bn, a new research report has found.

• The Gauteng Department of eGovernment has detailed ongoing plans to build a digitalised “smart city region” in Gauteng.
• It says these plans will make life easier for all residents.
• Outside of the digital world, Gauteng’s public services and infrastructure continue to crumble.

The Gauteng Department of eGovernment, which oversees the province’s ICT infrastructure and is charged with the digital transformation of its public works has detailed plans to build a “smart Gauteng City region,” with development beginning in the 2025/2026 financial year.

The government's two weakest points were public administration and information technology services, both of which fell under Sisulu's department.

ICT would be a critical part of "professionalising" the public service.