The Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on e-Government and Research and Development has raised concerns over persistent shortcomings in the rollout of broadband infrastructure and public connectivity projects across the province.
According to a statement, during an oversight engagement held this week, the committee met with the Gauteng Department of e-Government and related stakeholders to assess fourth-quarter performance and progress against strategic targets.
While welcoming the department’s improved overall performance rate of 84%, in its fourth-quarter performance for the 2025/26 financial year, committee members expressed concern about the department’s continued underperformance against its connectivity rollout targets.
The deployment of wide-area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), and public WiFi infrastructure as part of the Gauteng Provincial Network infrastructure has fallen behind the set target, notes the committee.
The ongoing delays and delivery failures have prompted the committee to launch a focused intervention study to identify the causes behind the missed targets and propose corrective interventions, it says.
According to the committee, reliable digital infrastructure remains critical to ensuring inclusive access to connectivity and supporting Gauteng’s broader digital transformation agenda.
“The committee is further concerned that CCTV cameras continue to remain a budget item within the Department of e-Government, while the primary mandate for community surveillance and infrastructure safety rests with the Department of Community Safety,” says the committee in the statement.
“While [the Department of] e-Government may provide backend technological support, the procurement rollout and operational management of CCTV infrastructure should reside within the Department of Community Safety.”
The e-Government department should only focus on CCTV backend technology enablement and systems support, it notes.
The committee warns that the current overlap between the two departments creates accountability risks and could potentially lead to audit concerns stemming from unclear institutional responsibilities.
It adds that the issue has repeatedly been raised during previous oversight engagements and requires urgent resolution to ensure proper mandate alignment across departments.
“The portfolio committee remains committed to strengthening oversight to improve digital infrastructure delivery and expand equitable access to connectivity services across Gauteng.”
Achievement or
Establishedin 2015, the Department of e-Government is the designated driver of ICT and innovation in Gauteng. It is tasked with ensuring the Gauteng Provincial Government leads the digitisation of all citizen services.
Performance reporting is a legally mandated process through which government departments and public entities account to provincial legislatures.
In its fourth-quarter performance for the 2025/26 financial year, the Department of e-Government says it achieved 32 of its 38 planned targets, representing an overall performance rate of 84%.
MEC for e-Government Bonginkosi Dhlamini notes in the report that the department continues to play a pivotal role in supporting provincial service delivery through strategic ICT investments.
Contrary to the committee’s concerns, Dhlamini points out the rollout of Gauteng provincial network infrastructure remains on track against its targets:
- 44 sites provided with WAN.
- 30 sites provided with LAN and four sites provided with VOIP.
- A total of 15 WiFi hotspots provided.
“One of the most notable achievements in recent years has been the department’s investment in foundational digital infrastructure,” said Dhlamini.
“The expansion of high-speed broadband networks across government offices and public facilities has enabled greater connectivity and the adoption of new technologies. This robust and scalable infrastructure underpins our digital transformation journey and supports initiatives such as cloud computing, centralised data centres and secure communication platforms.”
Dhlamini adds that the department had shown significant improvement compared with the same quarter in the 2024/25 financial year, when it achieved 63%.
“We have increased our performance by 21%, which shows the department is becoming more stable and that we are on the right path towards modernising the province,” he said.
Last July, Dhlamini tabled a R1.5 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year, which he said would focus on connectivity, enhancing citizen access to services and building a digitally smart province.
Share
