Remarks by The Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ms Faith Muthambi, during the Gala dinner of Government Information Technology Officers Council (Gitoc)’S Annual General meeting and Strategic Planning Session, Hunters Rest, Rustenburg
Programme Director;
Chairperson and Executive Management of GITOC;
Members of GITOC;
Our Sponsors from the ICT industry;
Support staff;
Ladies and gentleman;
Good evening;
Once again, l appreciate the opportunity to be part of the robust engagements this afternoon. I am convinced that GITOC is a capable body that can advise us on advancing the ICT agenda of our country. I hope that today’s event was not just a talk shop, and that real work will be done, shaped by the discussions we had this afternoon.
Our role as the DPSA is to ensure that we become a capable state, wherein the public service is efficient, effective, and developmental. We must therefore use all the facilities that are before us to achieve our goals. ICT is one of the realities that we are faced with. We are fortunate that we all of you who are charged with the huge responsibility of ensuring that our country maximizes the opportunities that comes out of ICT.
ICT is here to create efficiency in the systems of government. It is through ICT that the Department of Home Affairs was able to reduce the production steps of ID books from 80 to 15 steps, thereby considerably cutting the waiting period.
Colleagues;
The private sector has been making progress and our people are starting to realise that the public sector is lagging behind. Therefore, we do not have the luxury of time and we need to perform now. As Government we must play a leadership role and you as the GITO Council are at the heart of it. To do this and to do it well, we need ICT skilled personnel.
You also have an overwhelming responsibility to craft and advise on ICT policies and strategies such as the National e-Government Strategy. The role of advising the Minister for the Public Service and Administration on this strategy rests squarely on your shoulders.
Ladies and gentlemen;
The steady introduction of new technologies (e.g. cloud computing, social media, and mobile technology) into the everyday lives of our people, businesses and government is giving rise to new forms of public engagement and relationships that transcend public, private and social spheres.
This new digital environment offers opportunities for more collaborative and participatory relationships that allow relevant stakeholders (i.e. citizens, business and non-governmental organisations), to actively shape political priorities, collaborate in the design of public services and participate in their delivery to provide more coherent and integrated solutions to complex challenges. Digitally enabled participation and production of services is changing people’s expectations about their relationship with Government. This is what as GITOC you are compelled to deepen further.
Ladies and gentlemen;
Let me emphasise this point; Failures of government to make the transition to the new digital environment can have dire consequences including poor service delivery, underperformance of spending, privacy and security breaches, and loss of citizen trust. For this reason, strategies for effective digital government need to reflect public expectations in terms of economic and social value, openness, innovation, personalised service delivery and dialogue with citizens and businesses.
Emanating from today’s discussions, the following are some of the key priorities that you have identified for execution:
- Advanced Internet-based telecoms
- Interrogation of the Governance structure of GITOC
- Data analytics to advance digital government
- Value add of ICT to the business of Government
- Explore the use of Open Source
- Resource audit
- Cloud computing
- Unified or consolidated Whole of Government (WoG) solutions
These are the priorities that I am ready to support for implementation.
In conclusion;
Allow me to emphasise that as the GITO Council members, you are responsible for the implementation of Digital Strategy in your respective departments, therefore you remain the transformation champions for the digitization of the public service.
As your Minister I want to assure you of my commitment and support in your endeavours in executing the ICT mandate within the public service. I wish you the best in everything you do in this regard.
I thank you!
