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News in Brief

Critical to this, she said is the need for GITOC to for their proposals to address this challenge to
clearly define its role with respect to the many bodies ensure that government has the necessary capacity
within government that are supposed to deal with and skills to support digitalisation, eGovernment,
modernisation and Information and Communications eServices and modernisation.
Technology (ICT).
Silo approach
These include the 4IR Commission, the Inter- Currently, Ms Makhasi said digital information
Ministerial Committee led by Department of systems and data management developed at
Communications, and Digital Technologies, the national, provincial, and local governments are
Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) in fragmented or redundant, whether they are under the
the National Treasury and the role of the Minister for same institutions or between different institutions.
Public Service and Administration (MPSA) to develop These, she said, create further barriers related
norms and standards relating to: to access, affordability, and ability to deliver and
consumption of services by the users of digital
• Information Management, services.
• Electronic Government,
• Transformation, Reform, Innovation to Insufficient integration
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
the Public Service and its service delivery to Insufficient operational processes across government
the public. departments can result in a lack of coordination and
alignment amongst various processes, procedures,
ICT capacity in government and systems used by different government
A 2021 DPSA survey of the ICT staff complement departments.
across 141 national and provincial departments
revealed that ICT personnel only make up 0,2% of “This lack of coordination can lead to inefficiencies,
full-time employees in the public service. duplication of efforts, and delays in the delivery of
services to citizens.
“With this limited capacity noted, I am however
concerned that the current skills and capacity are “Many government departments operate
not being utilises efficiently and to their full capacity. independently of one another, each having its own
Attendance statistics for GITOC for the 2022/23 unique set of processes and procedures, which can
financial year show that at the most only about 50% place the burden of integration on citizens.
of members at any point participate,” she said. The
DG also used the platform to ask GITOC delegates By Nthambeleni Gabara, The Public Servant online

SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15. No. 3 of 2023 13