Newly-elected Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi on Friday introduced new members of the executive council (MECs) for the provincial government, including the new head of the e-government department.
Mzikayifani (Mzi) Khumalo is now MEC for the departments of e-government, cooperative governance and traditional affairs (COGTA), and research and development in Gauteng.
He replaces Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who is now MEC for health and wellness in the province.
Formerly the mayor of Randfontein Local Municipality and Rand West City Local Municipality, Khumalo served as the chief whip of the majority party in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and a member of the provincial legislature since 2019.
Announcing the new Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) cabinet on Friday, Lesufi noted he was taking up office within the term of the sixth administration, adding the cabinet will continue with the blueprint of “Growing Gauteng Together 2030”.
Says Lesufi: “This leadership represents retention and continuity, as we are only bringing literally two [new] MECs. We have kept almost seven MECs within the team, so we have not made major changes. I wish the team well. Let’s serve the people of Gauteng and let’s do it now.”
For his former role as education MEC, Lesufi has appointed Matome Chiloane to replace him as MEC for the Gauteng Department of Education and Youth Development.
The new executive has identified “non-negotiable” areas that must be addressed from now to the end of the political term in the next 18 months, according to Lesufi.
“The first one is the immediate need to ensure economic recovery and reconstruction. We want to accelerate the recovery part of it and the repositioning of the Gauteng economy. Two, we want to strengthen the immediate fight against crime, corruption, vandalism and lawlessness.
“Three, we want to move immediately to change the living conditions in the townships, informal settlements and hostels.”
Gauteng is still the only South African province to have an entire department dedicated to e-government. Established in 2015, the e-government department was previously headed by minister Barbara Creecy, as well as Lesufi, albeit for a short stint.
The e-government department has been designated as the driver of ICT and innovation in Gauteng. It is tasked with ensuring the GPG leads the digitisation of all citizen services.
Key among the department’s functions is the rollout and maintenance of the provincial broadband project, the Gauteng Broadband Network; the provincial e-waste strategy; as well as implementation of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) strategy.
Under the 4IR strategy, the e-government department is working on establishing several support structures to drive the improvement of e-government services, accessibility and enhancement of budget spend, governance and skills development in the province.
These include the setting up of a data office and data collaborator, the establishment of a Gauteng city-region 4IR regulatory sandbox and policy lab, e-procurement for cost saving, and the piloting of various initiatives established though public-private sector collaborations.