As the state introduces more technology-driven channels that are accessed by more connected citizens, SA will witness a shift towards government-as-a-service. So says Neotel MD and CEO Sunil Joshi, speaking to delegates at the GovTech conference yesterday.
He said technology would connect the "central" government to four main entities: its employees, local government, citizens and businesses.
While SA had demonstrated e-government's ability to connect to employees and citizens - mainly through the SA Revenue Service's eFiling solution and the Electronic National Traffic Information System, said Joshi, it could take a leaf out of solutions pioneered beyond our borders.
"Wales developed a human resource management system to help employees better manage performance and benefits, and create an environment to increase productivity, while South Korea used a multitude of distributed WiFi hubs to facilitate entrepreneurial development."
He added Kenya's electronic anonymous corruption whistleblowing and Ghana's electronic customs declaration systems show the potential to find relevant, localised solutions. "Individually, the examples mentioned are small pieces of a jigsaw which collectively form a big picture of e-government at work."
Joshi said Neotel's commitment to e-government would see the company push to build broadband capacity across the Western Cape, with around 2 000 sites targeted for connectivity over the next few years.
"Around 900 of the facilities will be schools, clinics and hospitals, and government departments will also be connected," he said.
The company has deployed technology-driven mathematics labs at 350 schools in the Free State as part of its commitment to e-learning. "The dedicated rooms are equipped with computers and the programme also focuses on teacher training to reduce any apprehension for IT."
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