The Gauteng Department of e-Government (e-Gov) has developed an 18-month programme to fast track the digitisation of the Gauteng government. The programme is made up of 20 key initiatives that are the main focus of delivery until the end of the administrative term.

This includes an e-Policing system which is a crime fighting tactic that uses technology and an integrated intelligence operations centre that will make use of an e-Panic Button to alert law enforcement agencies when a citizen is in need of help. The department will continue with its usual programmes of providing information and communications technology (ICT) support to GPG departments, innovation and creating a paperless customer services environment. e-Gov was created to modernise public services in Gauteng in order to create better and more efficient services for citizens.

e-Gov Head of Department Cyril Baloyi said the department has implemented several initiatives to digitise services in the province and he was happy with the progress thus far. Gauteng is taking a lead in digitisation since it took the bold step to ride the wave of the fourth industrial revolution to modernise its services. This began with laying the foundation through rolling out a fibre network across the province through the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN). This was followed by the development of e-Services which allow residents of Gauteng to access government services anywhere and anytime.

“Our priority has always been to bridge the technology divide through allowing our communities to access connectivity. The GBN programme has connected about 

1 225 WAN sites across the province providing connectivity to schools, hospitals and other government sites. This programme has gone a long way in providing a solution to the previous connectivity challenges that were faced by departments. These created many service delivery blockages. We are in the process of commercialising GBN so it can be self-funded and can compete with other broadband service providers. We want to take broadband to areas that are in the outskirts of the cities where the network is not available so we can also service those areas,” Baloyi said.

The e-Gov ICT team has been on a benchmarking endeavor with the Cape Town Provincial Government. This is to assist with the setting up of the Integrated e-Security and Policing system to reduce crime in the province. It will include high calibre face recognition systems which will be installed on major roads, business centres and areas with high crime rates. 

“The newly elected Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lusufi, has refocussed our mandate to include e-Security to fight crime using technology.  This will enable the availability of face recognition technology and surveillance cameras across the province to monitor the movements of our citizens. We will be creating smart policing solutions such as the e-panic button. The initial tests will start with government employees and then proceed to households. This will go a long way in combating gender-based violence (GBV) and other criminal acts,” he said.

Lastly, the e-Waste Management system was implemented as a solution to help improve the collection, recycling, and safe disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in the province, while also ensuring a clean, healthy, and safe environment. The system also plays a critical role in stimulating the province’s economy by supporting SMMEs within the recycling industry.

“Our e-Waste Management system looks at coordinating the efforts of disposing and recycling e-waste across the Gauteng City region. We are looking at innovative ways to clean up our environment while coming up with e-waste programmes that will inspire the youth to be creative and train them on how to recycle e-waste. This will assist our young people to be economically empowered to even start their own small businesses on e-waste management,” alluded Baloyi.

e-Waste drop-off sites across the five regions of Gauteng, namely Johannesburg, West-Rand, Sedibeng, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, have been established. All Gauteng citizens are encouraged to play a part in keeping the environment clean and safe, by using the e-waste drop-off sites.