IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Information and communications technology (ICT) have hailed in the fourth industrial revolution setting a new benchmark for business. However, this era of the Internet of Things (IoT) is also challenging and “disrupting” conventional government service delivery models.

As Dr. Setumo Mohapi, chief executive officer of the South African Information Technology Agency (SITA), points out, the facilitation of increased contribution to government activities by citizenry providing multi-modal public-service delivery.

This may sound like an idealistic thought, but data-driven policies are having a real-world impact in several countries.

A sad reality of this hyper-partisan, politicised era is that many policy proposals are immediately identified as either “left-wing” or “right-wing” and lauded and derided by partisans as if by rote, with little room for discussion about soundness or impact. But there is an alternative that could help us get past this political divisiveness: using data to help us focus on the policies and investments that would have the biggest positive impact on society.

Last Wednesday Dlamini-Zuma unveiled the credit card-size cards, which will encode personal and biometric information.

Dlamini-Zuma said the smartcard would allow citizens to have a modern identification card rather than an ID book, which was easy to forge.

The use of technology in the 21st century classroom is no longer a want but an essential part of education and learning. Nowadays universities exist as mini towns with the ever-growing connectivity demands. This as students expect to receive all their data and services wirelessly while professors and researchers need to be able to connect easily over the network.

This is why universities need to get connectivity right, and there are a few parallels which can be drawn between their ambitions and those of a smart city, according to networking specialists Aruba.

Huawei South Africa, in partnership with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, has officially launched the Women4Tech digital skills training programme, with an attendance of 107 women entrepreneurs. This initiative aims to help women advance their skills and use new technologies to grow, improve, and digitise their businesses.

The programme aims to help tech-forward women entrepreneurs with three specific technological skillsets: cloud computing, digital marketing, and introduction to app development. Aside from the training, the attended will also be afforded a networking opportunity with other successful women entrepreneurs, including an award-winning woman app developer within the Huawei Mobile App ecosystem.

Speaking at the budget vote for the GDF today, MEC Mandla Nkomfe said the programme is critical to delivering e-services in the province.

The current core functions of the GDF are ICT, internal audit, forensic services, procurement and transversal human resources management. This is because the department has been reconfigured into a strategic and highly-focused one.

Speaking at the National Integrated ICT Policy Colloquium in Midrand on Thursday, Pule said the outcome of the ICT policy development process had to be aligned with government's top priorities of fighting crime and corruption, rural development, improving health and education, and creating sustainable jobs.

The final policy needed to also address issues such as increasing the number of female executives and attracting younger women in ICT sector, the minister added.

This emerged during an inter-departmental stakeholder workshop hosted by the Department of Communications (DOC) today.

The workshop was held with various stakeholders from the departments of science and technology, basic education, higher education and training, health, trade and industry, home affairs, public service and administration, arts and culture, as well as representatives from the Independent Communications Authority of SA and the State IT Agency.

The workshop drew inputs from senior managers from the departments of Science and Technology, Basic Education, Higher Education and Training, Health, Trade and Industry, Home Affairs, Public Service and Administration, Arts and Culture. There was input also from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and the State Information Technology Agency.

The aim is to formulate a white paper on an integrated national ICT policy.

"We needed to have this policy review to overhaul all the legislation in our sector so it reflects the work the government does and helps this country and industry to benefit from sustainable ICT development and services for the next 20 years," Pule said.

South Africa's national ICT strategies will be published in the Government Gazette today, according to telecommunications and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele.

Cwele made the announcement yesterday during a discussion of government positions on telecoms and technology industry issues in Cape Town.

More than 23 million people are registered to vote in this year's municipal elections, and the IEC has printed 70.5 million ballot papers, for the first time printing the sheets in colour. Previously, only national election ballots were printed in colour.

However, reams of paperwork, physical voting and standing in queues could soon become a thing of the past, as the commission is exploring whether electronic voting will become a reality.

“Information and communication technology (ICT) is not high on the Department of Basic Education’s agenda, and it’s practised in a fragmented, uncoordinated manner.”

“It’s impossible to roll out ICT across all provinces because of varying situations and the different approaches to interpreting ICT policy.”

The Ikamva National e-Skills Institute was launched at the Durban University of Technology by Communications Minister Yunus Carrim and Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel on Friday.

It is of utmost importance to think differently to resolve this problem. One of the possible solutions is actually located in the government domain where, in cooperation with the industry, the utilization of internships can be used as a mechanism to upskill the technology-challenged society.

The digital economy involves small business owners having access to finance on a mobile device without having to go to a bank.

The digital economy has gotten a lot of attention, with increasingly powerful titles offering overwhelming and exciting exciting scenarios. Some warn of job losses due to automation, some questions about the things that digital technology can do. And then there’s real skepticism about whether this will translate into traditions to people who need it most.

The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has announced plans to transform South Africa’s economic hub into a “smart African city”.

Presenting the 2025 budget speech this week, councillor Margaret Arnolds, COJ member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, outlined several technology investments and interventions the city is making in order to realise the smart city dream and improve service delivery.

The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has set its sights on using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve service delivery in South Africa’s economic hub.

This was revealed yesterday by Joburg executive mayor Dada Morero, when he delivered the State of the City Address.

In his speech, Morero also said the COJ is looking to support the Lanseria Smart City Programme to boost the city’s economy.

The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has admitted to multiple setbacks in rolling out its smart city ambitions – citing issues such as “fragmented initiatives and insufficient governance structures”.

Now, with its 2025/26 draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the municipality says it will renew its strategic focus on digitaltransformation and infrastructure.

In the draft IDP, which was made available for public comment on Monday, the city lists a range of challenges that have hindered progress. These include ineffective governance structures, poor planning, an outdated ICT environment, and no mayoral agreement for implementation plans. The document also notes the city has not been able to keep “abreast of new technologies”.

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has prioritised several technology projects to realise its smart city ambitions, and it plans to invest R316.5 million to get them off the ground.

The projects include implementing an eHealth programme, an automated fare collection system for the Rea Vaya bus service, and installing fire detection and suppression mechanisms at substations.