IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The Smart Cape Access Project opened a public access point in Cape Town’s CBD this Wednesday. Belinda Walker, a Councillor and Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services and Human Resources, officiated at the ceremony. Five computers were unveiled, which are freely accessible to any member of the public during weekdays. Every user gets a free email account, and they can use the computers to surf the Internet.

The Smart Cape Access Project was launched by the City of Cape Town in 2002, in line with the City’s e-governance strategy. The project aims to firstly provide residents with access to computers and the Internet, to develop their skills so that they can effectively use the technology, and to provide online information that is relevant and useful to the local users.

The Smart Cape Access Project initially installed computers into public libraries, and according to Nirvesh Sooful, the City of Cape Town’s Chief Information Officer, over one hundred thousand people have made use of these computers since 2002. However, Mr Sooful said that these Library Access Points, and the Digital Business Centres also installed as part of the project, are still only reaching a small proportion of Cape residents. If people are to get computer experience - which is a vital skill for employment in the modern economy - then we need to build more facilities like this one”, he said.

The Access Point which was opened on Wednesday has been criticized for providing only five computers, which is not nearly enough to serve the city’s residents. However, users are currently restricted to sessions of 45 minutes for the sake of fairness.

The Access Point is situated in the foyer of the 44 Wale Street Building, opposite the Provincial Government buildings on the corner of Long Street. The Wale Street building previously housed the offices of the former Cape Metropolitan Council, and is now used by the City government for administration.

The computers highlight websites that feature local businesses and community content. The foyer area also features informational displays on City services. Mr Sooful hopes that the Wale Street Access Project will be useful to workers and residents in the CBD, and indicated that this project is the City’s first move in expanding computer access to other public buildings.

It is not yet clear what the quality and speed of the computers and Internet connection are.

Autor(en)/Author(s): Carey Finn

Quelle/Source: Independent Online, 19.11.2007