The trick is to balance profit and results.
Anyone who has spent hours waiting in a queue in a government building can appreciate the difference that technology could make to their lives.
Read more: South Africa: ICT is the mainframe of a better life for all
Imagine the incredible distances travelled and intense discomfort suffered by a senior citizen queuing for hours for their pension, the frustrations of youngsters trying to secure bookings for their driver’s licence tests, the traveller who spends hours or even days between departments for an emergency passport, the recuperating patient living in a rural area who has no link to his health care provider...
“It is a big deal because it uses open standards instead of a vendor's specifications, so it is much more inclusive,” says the foundation's intellectual property fellow Andrew Rens.
“Open standards are important for e-government. In e-government, the State interacts with citizens through ICT, which can make interaction efficient for citizens and government. Section 32 of the Bill of Rights places a duty on government to make information accessible to citizens,” Rens adds.
Read more: Südafrikas Behörden sollen mit dem Open Document Format arbeiten
She also officially opened a renal dialysis unit at the hospital on Monday.
The project will be the fourth of its kind in the province after three of the same kind were launched in Waterburg district a few years ago.
Read more: South Africa: Minister unveils telemedicine project