Senior South African officials have confirmed that the country will introduce biometric border controls after stricter visa rules were blamed for a dip in tourism numbers.
Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Friday that the nation will now accept visa requests by post and set up biometric testing at its airports.
In the next three months‚ Cabinet has now mandated the Department of Home Affairs to Implement the capturing of biometrics at ports of entry starting with a pilot project at OR Tambo‚ King Shaka and Cape Town airports.
Read more: South Africa to deploy biometric border capture at airports
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.
President Jacob Zuma envisages that through Operation Phakisa in education, learners will leave the schooling system as ethical, discerning, and responsible users of information, and be Information Communication Technology (ICT) capable to make meaningful contributions to society.
He said learners with special needs and their teachers will also be afforded access to specialised resources and to networks of specialist support.
Read more: ZA: Operation Phakisa ICT to Take Education to New Standard
GovTech 2015 aims to showcase ICT innovation in government and seek to inspire further innovation, says event programme manager Pieter Coertze.
The 10th instalment of GovTech will be staged by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) at Durban's Inkosi Luthuli International Convention Centre, from 25 to 28 October. Under the banner: ‘Partnering for Service Delivery: Connecting Communities for Development and Growth', GovTech's primary focus will be service delivery.
A war of words ensued yesterday when the ANC in the Gauteng legislature proposed to change the department of finance's function and name to "e-governance".
Finance MEC Barbara Creecy defended the change and said it was proposed by Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
She said: "At the end of the day it is the premier who decides.