GSSC re-prioritises G-Link

Johannesburg, 11 Aug 2009

The Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) has made progress in its Gauteng Link project and promises affordable broadband capacity in the near future.

In the GSSC budget speech, Gauteng finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe said the department had concluded the business plan for the Gauteng Link broadband project. He added that, in the current financial year, National Treasury would consult with civil society to seek input and buy-in. A strategic investor conference, to engage business on the role it can play, will also be held, he revealed.

Nkomfe said the provision of infrastructure for ICT and broadband capacity for Internet connectivity has now become more important than ever. The project, also known as Blue Umbrella, was first announced by former premier Mbhazima Shilowa, in 2008.

While no specific allocation was made for the initiative, it will be funded under the Technology Support Services unit, which received the highest allocation - R765 million of the total budget. In 2008, it was estimated the project could cost anything between R15 million and R35 million.

The GSSC received total allocations of over R1 billion. The Gauteng Audit Services received an allocation of R53.9 million, while the Human Resources Business Unit receives R72.4 million. The allocation for the Procurement Business Unit is R72.9 million, while the Finance Business Unit received R66.1 million.

The G-Link programme represents Gauteng's vision of developing the necessary infrastructure that will ensure Internet connectivity and access are made easier for communities and rural development. “Our priorities are targeted and aimed at achieving maximum impact, we are confident the institution will continue to drive value for government,” he said.

Big promises

The Gauteng Online schools project will deliver on its promise of ensuring every learner in the public schooling system has access to the Internet and e-mail, said Nkomfe. He added that, by November, the GSSC will have completed the construction of classrooms in schools that never had the laboratories.

To date, in excess of 980 schools have laboratories and more than 600 of these are online, he said. The mobile labs are operational and are part of the drive to provide training and access to those schools that are in the rural parts of the province.

Nkomfe also addressed concerns on issues of theft, but said security could only be improved through joint initiatives.

“We are convinced the success of the project is heavily dependent on strengthened cooperation between the schools and the communities that surround them. This is also true for stakeholders such as ward committees, the community policing forums, youth and student organisations and teacher organisations,” he noted.

Internal solutions

Nkomfe said the GSSC would consolidate the provincial government's internal ICT infrastructure. The initiative will form part of a 90-day turnaround, aimed at reducing error reporting on public interface platforms such as the Gauteng Online portal. He added that each employee of the provincial government would be given access to reliable e-mail connectivity and Internet.

The finance MEC said the business process outsourcing sector will continue to guide the department's objective to create easier access to government services. The focus in the current financial year will be on greater integration between the contact centre and the back office.

“This will ensure we increase our first time call resolution on all calls logged through the contact centre. We must position the contact centre on a strategic footing; enable it to be a provider of accurate government information in real-time.”

According to Nkomfe, there has been a steady increase in the use of the services provided by the contact centre. He noted the GSSC has seen an improvement in the reduction of the licence booking backlog and this is a result of greater co-operation between the GSSC and the testing centres.