Blank cheque for Home Affairs IT

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer

Johannesburg, 05 Sept 2007

The National Treasury has effectively given the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) a blank cheque to fix its IT infrastructure. A senior consultant to the department says the only proviso is that the department must present a cogent business case.

The consultant was speaking on the fringes of a media briefing yesterday by DHA director-general Mavuso Msimang. The DG outlined what he has done to turn the department around in the 100 days since his 15 May appointment.

Msimang announced a "massive" investment in IT to rescue a department he described as being "one of SA's most dysfunctional" and "sick". A departmental source says the bill could come to R2 billion, although Msimang is negotiating down the vendors that have tendered.

Msimang said some of the steps being taken amount to "radical stuff", but "is what we need to do to turn the department around". He added that implementation would take a year - from January to December 2008. In the meantime, a series of "quick wins" are being implemented.

"Our objective is clear. It is to transform the department into a modern, efficient, cost-effective service organisation responsive to the needs of South African citizens, residents and visitors.

"IT is absolutely fundamental to the proper functioning of any organisation, no less the DHA."

Track and trace

Home Affairs' top 10 risks

* Threat of data loss
* Threat of corruption and fraudulent activities internally and externally due to work processes not being secure
* Threat of forged documents being created due to limited security features of existing enabling documents
* Threat of unauthorised and/or malicious systems access due to limited controls
* Threat of accidental or purposeful (fraudulent) misrepresentation of financial
* Threat of IT system outage (due to power failure, hardware failure, network issues, etc)
* Threat of a large influx of refugees due to political or economic (eg, food shortages) instability in other African countries
* Threat of unauthorised information release
* Threat of a bomb or other threat (eg, gas, arson) to a DHA facility (eg, terrorism, disgruntled employee, etc)
* Threat of public wasting government resources by not taking due and proper care of documents issued to them

One "quick win" is the track and trace system for IDs. "If there is one document that is important, it is the ID. It gives the bearer access to everything," he noted. "No wonder there is a high premium on acquiring it, both by those with a legitimate right and those without."

Today, it typically takes more than 100 days to produce the document, Msimang explained. He added the process involves up to 80 people. The system, which will be fully implemented by February, will allow Msimang - and the public - to track each ID book transaction from application to collection.

Msimang will track progress and staff productivity using business intelligence (BI) technology, while the public can do the same via SMS and the department's Web site.

The DG added the system would help fight corruption by creating an audit trail. It will also flag any irregular actions on the part of staff, such as those attempting to sneak a fraudulent application into the production system.

The system will be further boosted by a call centre, for which tenders have been invited. Msimang said 12 responses were received and are being evaluated. The call centre will also become central to tracking passports and applications for scarce skills work permits.

Plans for 2008

For 2008, Msimang plans the roll-out of a "technology architecture that will support the business of the future [and] at the same time ensuring a stable IT foundation is laid so that the new IT applications can operate effectively".

Msimang has previously spoken about the department's server farm, saying it lacked physical security and had no business continuity mechanism. He yesterday again described the set-up as a "disaster waiting to happen", but also announced a plan to upgrade the farm, which includes its physical relocation to a more secure environment. Measures to assure business continuity are also being taken and a disaster recovery plan has been implemented to mitigate data loss and assure data integrity.

This, in turn, will allow the department to introduce - for the first time - technology to manage document and workflow, generate BI, conduct online document verification, automate the national population register (which generates birth and death certificates), as well as the national identity system; and introduce e-passports and e-visas.