Gauteng Legislature Slams e-Gov Department Over Public Wi-Fi Failures and Blurry CCTV Budgets
BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCALISTEN HERE @KASIBCAUDIO
JOHANNESBURG — Gauteng’s Portfolio Committee on e-Government and Research & Development has taken a hardline stance against the provincial Department of e-Government, raising alarm over stagnant digital connectivity rollouts and questionable institutional budgeting.
While the committee praised the department for a massive turnaround in its overall fourth-quarter performance—which surged from a sluggish 63% up to 84%—it warned that critical digital infrastructure is lagging far behind where it needs to be.
The Digital Divide: WAN, LAN, and Wi-Fi Failures
The provincial oversight committee expressed deep frustration regarding the continuous underperformance in the delivery of Wide Area Network (WAN), Local Area Network (LAN), and public Wi-Fi infrastructure across Gauteng townships and economic hubs.
To crack down on these bottlenecks, the committee has officially launched a Focused Intervention Study (FIS). This targeted probe will dissect and assess the exact operational failures, bureaucratic red tape, or contractor bottlenecks causing the department to repeatedly miss its connectivity targets.
"The Committee remains committed to exercising robust oversight to ensure improved digital infrastructure delivery and inclusive access to connectivity across Gauteng."
The Tug-of-War Over CCTV Camera Budgets
A major point of contention during the oversight engagement was the financial and operational management of provincial CCTV security cameras.
The committee standardly reiterated that the e-Government department is overstepping its practical mandate, pointing out a glaring structural overlap:
The Conflict: CCTV security cameras continue to sit heavily on the budget item list of the Department of e-Government.
The Mandate: The committee firmly argues that community surveillance, local intelligence, and infrastructure safety fall strictly under the primary jurisdiction of the Department of Community Safety.
The Solution: While e-Government should handle the backend technical and cloud support, the actual procurement, physical rollout, and daily management of CCTV networks must be transferred to Community Safety.
The committee warned that keeping this multi-million rand item under the wrong department blurs institutional accountability and leaves the province wide open to severe adverse findings from the Auditor-General.
Empowering the Youth Amid Infrastructure Delays
Despite the infrastructure gridlocks, the committee did welcome the department's progressive socio-economic strides. Specifically, lawmakers applauded the rollout of provincial Youth Tech Expos and new green-economy programs designed to safely transition unemployed young people into the highly lucrative e-waste recycling and disposal sector.
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