Speaking about the role of ICT in the Gauteng Provincial Government's (GPG's) growth path, at the Gauteng ICT summit yesterday, Gauteng CIO Lemmy Chappie said the country must ensure the set-top boxes required for digital TV are manufactured locally.
“It's about time we became the China of Africa. Also, as a country we need to be able to build our own Microsoft-type of applications and this is possible through open source.”
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."
Pule was speaking after last week’s information and communications technology (ICT) Indaba at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, held to discuss Africa’s interaction with the rest of the world.
Hosted by the national Communications Department, the indaba saw heads of communications from across Africa gathering to discuss ICT system development – identified as a major contributor to Africa’s growth.
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.
Between June and December 31, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will hand out the new branded biometric magstripe cards to grant holders, replacing the current Sekulula cards.
The biometric cards will also replace temporary smartcards that social grant beneficiaries in Gauteng, Western Cape, the southern part of the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Free State - provinces which don't use the current service provider - have been using since March.
Read more: ZA: New biometric card to boot out social grant fraud