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Public sector editor's choice: Stories of the year

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 17 Dec 2019

From the euphoria of the general elections earlier this year, to a slowing economy, and now a dark and wet December, 2019 has been nothing short of rocky surprises, to say the least. During this time, the security and state of government’s IT systems have also been in the spotlight, including the overhyped Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) term.

Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who heads up the department driving SA’s ICT agenda – and who has dubbed herself the `commander in chief’ of the 4IR – recently finished her first year as the head of the communications ministry. While nothing spectacular stands out during this first year, the minister has managed to sign off on some overdue decisions needed to steer the ICT ship forward. In July, she approved the long-awaited policy direction for the allocation of high-demand spectrum.

Who can forget the cyber attacks on City Power and the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) IT infrastructure? The CoJ’s hack was also the first time a ransom in Bitcoin was demanded from a state entity.

Another notable mention is the resignation of Dr Setumo Mohapi from the State IT Agency. Mohapi was one of only a few SITA CEOs to serve the full four-year tenure at the embattled agency and he was largely lauded for his efforts to turn the state entity around.

Lastly, the Competition Commission sent #DataMustFall shockwaves in early December, finding that MTN and Vodacom’s mobile data prices are exorbitant. The competition watchdog has recommended the two telcos reduce data prices by up to a half or face prosecution. Furthermore, the Commission said all mobile operators must reach agreement with it within three months to offer all prepaid subscribers a lifeline package of daily free data to ensure all citizens have data access on a continual basis, regardless of income levels.

SITA appoints CEO number 19 as Mohapi bows out

As SITA ushers in a new era without Dr Setumo Mohapi at the helm, industry watchers say it should continue the clean-up efforts initiated by the former chief executive.

City Power hit by ransomware attack

The City of Johannesburg’s electricity utility’s databases, applications and network have been encrypted by malicious software.

City of Joburg hit by cyber attack

The city detects a network breach which resulted in unauthorised access to its information systems.

SA political parties square up on social media

South African political parties have been hard at work using social media as a tool to reach voters, hoping these online efforts will translate into votes.

How IEC has leveraged tech ahead of elections

The Independent Electoral Commission moves with the times, introducing a system to allow political parties to submit their candidate lists online.

Ndabeni-Abrahams’s first year in office: highs and lows

It has been a year since minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams took over a unified ICT ministry.

Ndabeni-Abrahams issues policy direction on spectrum

The long-awaited government framework for the licensing of high-demand spectrum is finally out.

Big blow for Vodacom, MTN as CompCom orders data cost cut

The two dominant telcos have been lambasted for having a strong monopoly in the mobile data sector.

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