The Gauteng Department of e-Government on Wednesday reported an improved performance during the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, as it achieved 32 of its 38 planned targets, representing an overall performance rate of 84%.

This is a significant improvement on the 63% performance rate achieved in the corresponding quarter in the 2024/25 financial year.

“We have increased our performance by 21%, which shows that the department is becoming more stable and that we are on the right path towards modernising the province,” said e-Government MEC Bonginkosi Dhlamini.

He noted that the department continued to play a pivotal role in supporting provincial service delivery through strategic information and communications technology (ICT) investments.

This as the department remains focused on expanding, maintaining and enhancing ICT services that are modern, secure, cost-effective and capable of driving innovation across the Gauteng City Region.

One of the most notable achievements in recent years has been the department’s investment in foundational digital infrastructure, said Dhlamini.

“The expansion of high-speed broadband networks across government offices and public facilities has enabled greater connectivity and the adoption of new technologies. This robust and scalable infrastructure underpins our digital transformation journey and supports initiatives such as cloud computing, centralised data centres, and secure communication platforms.”

The department has committed R241-million in the 2026/27 financial year to mitigate ageing infrastructure and strengthen the maintenance of existing ICT infrastructure.

The Department of e-Government also remains on track against its Gauteng Provincial Network infrastructure targets, with 44 sites provided with wide-area network, 30 sites provided with local-area network and four sites provided with voice over Internet protocol; as well as a total of 15 WiFi hotspots provided.

The department is not planning any new CCTV camera installations for the current financial year, as its role is to provide the technology platform.

With the responsibility for instructing the expansion of the CCTV camera network resting with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, the Department of e-Government will focus on maintaining the existing camera network.

Meanwhile, the department has introduced a three-day turnaround time for invoice payments, which is monitored by the Office of the CFO, reducing supplier payment turnaround from 10 days.

“Delays in receiving supporting payment documents from end-users are monitored daily. End-users who do not comply with the three-day turnaround strategy are required to provide written explanations and, where the explanation is unsatisfactory, the matter is escalated to the accounting officer,” said Dhlamini.

Instances of non-compliance by service providers, such as expired tax documents and non-compliant central supplier database reports, are also monitored weekly. Suppliers are informed to update their status as and when issues arise.

Further, the department has set its sights on 7% of its procurement budget being spent on companies owned by persons with disabilities by the end of the financial year.

“The Request for Quotation team has been provided with a list of designated suppliers to help the department meet its target relating to persons with disabilities. This strategy is aligned with the current database sourced through outreach programmes.”

Progress will be monitored through weekly reports, including supplier rotation for persons with disabilities.

The department had also planned for 25% youth representation; however, only 12% was achieved within the department during the reporting period.

“The target could not be fully met due to budget constraints, which resulted in the suspension of the advertisement and filling of 30 planned vacant posts targeted at young people in Gauteng. In addition, the job evaluation process is still underway to ensure compliance with Regulation 40(c) of the Public Service Regulations,” Dhlamini continued.

To date, the department has not proceeded with filling the identified vacant posts pending the finalisation of the job evaluation process and confirmation of the available budget.

The appointment of digital ambassadors continues, with youth ambassadors participating in 4IR and digital skills development projects aimed at enhancing digital capacity, innovation and service delivery through training, mentorship and participation in project-related activities.

The first intake of 75 e-Services ambassadors was appointed in August 2025, and the programme will run for 24 months.

The second intake of 75 ambassadors, comprising 25 e-Services ambassadors and 50 digital ambassadors, is envisaged to start on June 1 for a period of 24 months.

The first intake was appointed through a partnership with the National Youth Service (NYS).

The NYS partnership was selected to ensure that ambassadors were drawn from individuals already embedded in their communities and working closely with nongovernmental organisations across Gauteng’s five corridors. All replacements are processed through the NYS pipeline to maintain continuity and due process.

The e-Services ambassadors advocate for Gauteng provincial government digital platforms and engage community members to drive the uptake of online government services across all five corridors.