The department, having already rolled out mobile units that make use of satellites to enable citizens in rural parts to apply for ID books, is now investigating a national fingerprint database.
Cabinet has given the idea of a national identification system that makes use of fingerprints stored in a database its 'in concept' approval.
The department, confirmed Gigaba, is also looking into the concept of a smartcard that will replace the green identification books.
Other departments - such as the South African Police Service - will be able to use the cards to carry their own data.
Addressing delegates at the Government Technology World Africa conference in Midrand this week, Gigaba said that South Africa was determined to “get on the information superhighway and stay there”.
This included investing in research and development to develop cutting-edge technology and skilling-up public officials.
Yet Africa has specific challenges, such as a lack of infrastructure, which leads to technology being fairly ineffective.
This called for more innovative solutions and South Africa has already taken the first steps towards this ideal.
In 2003, President Thabo Mbeki called for the speeding up of the rollout of a government-wide call centre that would link citizens to all government departments.
In addition, he called for an electronic e-government gateway that would act as a databse of all government departments.
In 2004, he stressed the importance of raising skills levels in IT in the public-sector.
As a matter of urgency, Mbeki wanted to see the Batho Pele gateway rolled out and wanted 60 multi purpose community centres across the country to be open for business, with emphasis placed on equipping the remaining municipalities.
The concept of e-government had moved away from whether it is important and whether it is needed to the point where policy makers are determining how best to make it happen.
The concept behind e-government is that it enables participatory democracy and allows citizens to engage and debate with the government on issues of concern.
In South Africa, as a result of the challenging digital divide, enabling this access electronically is challenging.
Historically, the use of information technology and communication has remained the prerogative for the more well-to-do, and has only served to increase their interests.
Yet the South African government is determined - in the face of criticism - to roll out e-government to its people.
One way it endeavours to do this is through multipurpose community centres that are dotted around the country and that allow citizens to access the Internet, email and other business tools.
Some have evolved to become business centres in their own right, enabling rural communities to have access to an 'office'.
Heightening citizens' contact with government could have the effect of reducing corruption in a country and increasing service delivery.
Despite its vast potential as an enabler, very few African countries engage in e-governance.
Only 7% of countries on the continent offer online access to government, compared to over 50% in the so-called 'Western' world.
In China, the e-government market is set to hit $9,5-billion by 2008.
Locally, infrastructure has been established and will continue to be developed and this will enable government to launch similar portals in the SADC region as it is vital to ensure that the region does not fall further behind.
Autor: nicola mawson
Quelle: Creamer Media Engineering News, 11.11.2005
