T he trends of ICT forums in Local Government 14 February 2006 Nkuna William

1. The trends of ICT forums in Local Government14 February 2006Nkuna William

2. E-Government “the use by government agencies of information and communication technologies (ICT) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and government. “ • better delivery of government services to citizens • improved interactions with business and industry • citizen empowerment through access to information • more efficient government management • Resulting in • increased transparency • greater convenience • potential for revenue growth, and/or cost reductions • less likelihood of corruption “it is estimated that up to 80 percent of citizen-government transactions take place at the local level” Why ICT are important for L.G. (1)

3. Local Government is primarily the interface for Service Delivery • ICT’s allow for the creation of one-stop support centres (portals) • 24 X 7 X 365 channel • Modern developments integrating powerful computing and communications technologies offer exciting opportunities in the interfacing between local authorities and their communities. • ICT’s facilitate cheap, high speed, interactive communications between individuals and institutions. • Distance and time have arguably become an irrelevance having little impact upon the marginal cost of communication. • Accessibility and Exclusion (problems of accessibility and exclusion may be inherent in web technology) Why ICT’s are important for L.G. (2)

4. 3 Independent spheres of Government (no single jurisdiction) • National vs. Provincial vs. Local (Metropolitan, District, Local) • Own budgets and own discretion (within the parameters of the PFMA at National and Provincial Level and MFMA at the Local Government Level) • Disparate Systems within Provinces, Districts and Municipalities i.t.o. • Payroll, General Ledger, Billing and Debtors, Asset Management, Creditors and Inventory Systems • Duplicate initiatives - example Geographical Information Systems • Little or no standardisation – example Web addresses for Municipalities • (.co.za; .com; .org) • Little or no Interoperability of applications (within or between municipalities) Assessment of Current ICT Status (1)

5. Based on 2004 ForgeAhead research < 20% of Municipalities have Master Systems Plans (MSP’s) • Culture of non co-operation, continued operation in silos • SITA Regulations apply to National and Provincial Government but not to the Local Government Level • Local Government is represented by their Provincial GITO at the GITOC • Dependence on vendors • Little or No Skills Transfer • All of the above happens in the context of Resource, Capacity and Capability constraints • Budget, Human Resources • Skills • Retention of I.T. staff – High turnover of CIO’s • As a result of the above very little co-ordination and alignment currently takes place Assessment of Current ICT Status (2)

6. Creation of a Local Government Forums (would involve Provinces, Metropolitan, District and Local Municipalities) as well as the relevant National Stakeholders • Local Government involvement in GITOC (improve National, Provincial and Local communication and co-ordination) • Integrate ICT with other IGR functions ( MinMec & PCC) Mechanisms to improve alignment and co-ordination

7. ICT forums in Provinces • Provision of Best Practice Models - Based on size and type of municipalities • Provision of Policies • Provision of templates • Shared services • Economies of scales ( Procurement) Mechanisms to improve alignment and co-ordination

8. E-Government • Cannot happen without Local Government • Alignment and Co-ordination among Provincial and Local Governments • MSP’s completed and implemented • Standardisation • Interoperability • For Local Government to be in a position to • Play its role in the Information Society • Evaluate new technologies (VOIP, 3G, Open Source, Mobile Government, Wireless Technologies) • Achieve economies of scale (ex. GIS) Desired Outcomes (1) - Summary

9. IT Consolidation • … helps remove redundancy and reduce costs, while enabling better sharing and use of valuable information across a government enterprise. Mainframe consolidation, server virtualization, enterprise architecture, all help to reduce the unneeded, while building better access to databases and increasing the utility of computing systems and networks. (www.govtech.net) • Standardisation of Web Domains • Linkage of websites to the Batho Pele Portal • Better Information and Knowledge Management Desired Outcomes (2) - Summary

10. National GITO Council National Depts,Provincial GiTOC’s SITA National, SOE’s Private Sector Rep, OGCIO ( dpsa), SALGA Chairperson Proposed Structure Provincial LG forums Districts IT managers Provincial GITO Provincial Depts, SITA ( Province) Chairperson Sectretary District LG Forums IT Managers in the locals

11. Establishment of ICT forums • Presentation made to GITOC council • Discussions with PGITOC, Provincial Depts of Local Government, SITA Regional Managers • Finalise the structure ( based on Provincial needs) • Share information concerning Local government ( Research workshops with Forge Ahead) Processes Underway ( 1)

12. Project Consolidate imperatives • Clarified the role of SITA • Developing the strategic engagement with SITA • Developing proposals for Project Consolidate interventions • Shared services • Billing systems • The role of MPCC • MSP development and implementations • Training and skills development • Procurement of ICT products and services Processes Underway ( 2)

13. Mpumalanga – (Finalised structure – 2/3 of the province complete) • Limpopo – ( Launch today) • North West ( Ratified by the MEC) • Gauteng ( engagements underway- assisted by SITA regional offices) • Northern Cape ( Presentation to be made the provincial IGR forums) • Free State ( Initial discussions with the CIO office) • KwaZulu-Natal ( Initial discussions) • Eastern Cape ( Already established) • Western Cape ( Already established) Progress Report