IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Gauteng's Department of e-Government has partnered with the Step Up 2A Start Up programme, to increase ICT skills and develop young entrepreneurs to grow the sector in townships in the province.

Step Up 2A Start Up is an entrepreneurial initiative of the National Youth Development Agency that aims to inspire entrepreneurship and wealth creation.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will on Tuesday, 21 July, officially launch the roll-out of its technology enabled teaching and learning programme to Grade 12 learners in the Gauteng province.

The programme, commonly known as "The paperless classroom" entails the usage of interactive boards, mobile devices such as tablets, laptops with complete internet connectivity to conduct teaching and learning. To this end the GDE has selected 375 high schools with Grade 12 classes, mainly in township and rural areas to participate in the programme.

Kathy Gibson at the Gauteng Provincial Government Technology & Innovation Conference – Like climate change, the digital revolution is upon us here in South Africa and in Gauteng.

In fact, Gauteng is at the forefront of the revolution in the continent, says Dr Siyabonga Cwele, minister of telecommunications and postal services.

Gauteng has a comparative advantage in exploiting the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution because it has the infrastructure, Dr Cwele adds.

The Department of e-Government has been established by the Gauteng provincial government (GPG), as part of a restructuring process to ensure departments in the province are able to seamlessly talk to each other.

The new department aims to modernise public service and make Gauteng a smart province. The Department of e-Government will also provide online and digitised services and improve access for citizens to government services.

At the inaugural Future of Technology conference, MEC for Finance in Gauteng, Barbara Creecy, discussed how the provincial government is investing in innovation and technology.

MEC for Finance in Gauteng, Barbara Creecy, discussed the future of technology within the government and the e-government services at the inaugural Future of Technology conference.

Creecy added that those involved in the tech industry have a greater opportunity than ever before to help grow the economy and create jobs.

Delivering her State of the Province Address in Mamelodi, Pretoria, on Monday, Mokonyane outlined a number of projects, saying there would be a strong emphasis on concrete, deliverable programmes.

"In the coming financial year, our endeavour will be focused on the accelerated implementation of these mega-projects that will serve as catalytic drivers of growth and development in Gauteng," she said.

The R1.2 billion Gauteng Broadband Network roll-out by Altech Alcom Matomo has reached a key milestone with fibre broadband connectivity to all eight vital core nodes, Altron TMT said.

Altron TMT is a subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron and was previously known as Altech before Altron paid R1.8 billion to buys out Altech minorities in a 2013 deal. This acquisition was followed by Altron streamlining its operation and bundling parts of Altech and Bytes Technology together.

Gauteng MEC for e-Government and Finance Barbara Creecy has outlined her plan to allow people to apply for liquor licences, government tenders and other services online.

She made the announcement when she delivered her R1.2 billion e-government budget in the Gauteng legislature on Friday.

This approach replaces previous plans to build ICT classrooms in every school as part of the government’s aim to make Gauteng a smart and connected province.

This is according to Barbara Creecy, MEC for finance, who outlined how technology would impact the province as she delivered her budget vote speech today.

The Gauteng Department of Education plans to strengthen its training of schools and teachers in the province to maximise, strengthen and sustain its ICT rollout programme is public schools.

MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, delivered his budget speech yesterday in Johannesburg.

The newly formed Gauteng e-government department yesterday convened a two-day summit in Midrand to introduce what will hopefully lead to more efficient service delivery and shorter queues at local offices.

Gauteng premier David Makhura joined Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and Gauteng's MEC of finance, Barbara Creecy, to inaugurate the new digital department yesterday.

Speaking at the Gauteng ICT summit today, finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe said broadband is the superhighway that could actualise this aspiration.

"That is why we have embarked upon an ambitious project to implement this solution, which will be underpinned by the utilisation of a variety of networks and devices."

The City of Tshwane has approved a “groundbreaking” broadband project aimed at promoting an e-government, despite objections from the Gauteng and national treasuries.

The City of Tshwane has approved a “groundbreaking” broadband project aimed at promoting an e-government, despite objections from the Gauteng and national treasuries.

According to a report by Moneyweb, the 18-year build, operate, and transfer contract was awarded to a newly-formed company.

The new system is expected to improve the city’s business processes ensuring that it delivers quality services optimally.

The City of Ekurhuleni announced that it will soon implement a new meter reading system that has been developed to allow its customers to directly send their water and electricity meter readings to the municipality on time.

According to metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, this is in line with the city’s vision of being a smart city and enhancing the customer experience of its residents.

Evolving at what seems to be the speed of light, technology is becoming more and more a part of our lives. It is intertwined with our culture and has values embedded within it that help to shape our society.

That is why we have launched an online registration for Grade 1 and 8 pupils until June 1 for the 2017 academic year.

Of course the Gauteng department of education has come under heavy criticism and attack after the online registration system crashed after going live.

• The Gauteng department that oversees the province’s technology has received a budget of R1.5 billion.
• This budget will take the department into 2026 and be used for its plans to establish a “Smart City region.”
• MEC for the Department, Bonginkosi Dhlamini, says that the budget may not be enough to address all challenges faced.

The Gauteng Department of eGovernment, the department that oversees all the province’s digital infrastructure, including online services and CCTV network, has revealed that it has been allocated a budget of R1.5 billion until 2026.

Around R15-billion will be required to fund the municipal bulk infrastructure required for the new smart city that will be developed in Gauteng’s Lanseria.

This was the response given this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.

Tshwane residents can now skip the queues and report service issues in real time with the city’s new mobile app. From logging faults to paying bills, the Tshwane App puts local government in your pocket.

The metro has launched a mobile app designed to simplify service delivery reporting for residents.

This innovative platform allows users to log service requests, track request progress, and receive real-time updates – all from their smartphones.

South Africa’s Gauteng province intends to make all 2,200 schools in the region smart classrooms over the next few years; this is according to Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng MEC for Education told CNBC Africa.

Lesufi made the comments on the sidelines of the e-Government summit on information technology.

“We have covered almost 376 schools and we are expanding into four hundred schools by the end of the next year. We intend to cover 2,200 school populations in our province,” said Lesufi.