In its bid to create a smart city, Johannesburg has been hard at work for quite some time already, and its Public Access to Internet in Libraries (Pail) project has been up-and-running for years to empower Joburg’s poorer citizens.
Nobuntu Mpendulo, the director of library and information services, spoke about the initiative on the second day of the smart cities themed week of the GDS2040.
Speaking at the annual GovTech conference, being held this week in Durban, he said SITA is well apace in the implementation of its turnaround strategy that was introduced last year.
“We can proudly say that, having strengthened the governance mechanism and deployed men and women of substance at the top management of the agency, we have now begun to see remarkable progress in SITA's performance.”
This is according to Obed Bapela, Deputy Minister of Communications in South Africa.
Bapela was addressing delegates today during the 14th Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) Conference held at the East London International Convention Centre, in East London, South Africa.
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The MorphoAccess VP Series is the world's first range of physical access control terminals combining finger vein and fingerprint biometrics in one system. It was unveiled earlier this year at IFSEC International, in Birmingham, UK.
The products are suitable for authentication or identification. The terminals can identify up to 10 000 users; have enhanced anti-spoofing capabilities; and are rated IP65 for ruggedness.
In its document entitled “Broadband Policy for South Africa,” the Department of Communications (DoC) defined broadband as “an always available, multimedia connection with a download speed of at least 256kbps.”