For almost five years the government has been on a major drive to streamline the services it delivers to the public through the intelligent use of computers and IT.
The latest development was the launch of the South African government services website last week (www.services.gov.za).
What the site currently lacks in content, aesthetic value and navigational adeptness it makes up for in concept. Launched by Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the e-government gateway is designed to provide a “portal”, or one-stop shop, for all government information. This includes forms, frequently asked questions and the latest speeches, Bills, reports and tender bulletins posted by the government.
So how does a website add to an overall government strategy to provide better services? The government has been working on a strategy called the “no-wrong-door” policy for a number of years. The only way a strategy like this can become a reality is through the consolidation of the country’s extensive data and computer applications into a single environment.
The policy, as its name implies, means that you find assistance no matter which government department’s door you knock on. No easy feat, especially in light of the fact that we still have an enormous amount of data about individuals and local statistics to consolidate and capture before we are anywhere near having a comprehensive view of the local population.
Fraser-Moleketi said that the e-government gateway has been set up to provide people with a single point of entry into a range of government services, 24/7, all year round. She said the key focus points of the site are the optimisation of service delivery, public participation and governance. The medium — the Internet.
The reality, however, is that there is still a huge gap between the number of active users on the Internet and the number of people who could truly benefit from services such as applying for children’s grants online.
But the answer to this involves yet another step in the government’s strategy. That is the setting up of government information centres in the manner of Internet cafés or digital villages in major suburban areas.
With the e-government gateway in place, digital villages accessible in major and rural areas, possibly piggybacking off technologies such as Sentech’s recently launched MyWireless satellite Internet service, the www.services.gov.za website suddenly makes perfect sense. Its application could be extensive and the use thereof would unclog already over- subscribed government offices.
But is the end in sight? The fact of the matter is that, although the government has strong views on the public benefit of IT and has received many kudos from countries worldwide, implementation has been slow.
We currently sit with a situation where the departments of trade and industry, public service and administration, and communications all act as custodians of IT.
Somewhere between the three we have the Department of Science and Technology and the group that is supposed to be driving this — the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), which has to fight for space in its own supposed monopoly with the likes of Arivia.kom. Until recently Sita has been fraught with allegations of corruption and the misuse of funds.
The deadline for full implementation is 2007. It may sound like a long way off, but there is a sense of urgency within the government. Many departments have gone out and done it on their own.
All that is really needed for the concept to take off is that the government set up a department exclusively involved in the execution of IT. Or that one department takes ownership of IT.
In terms of the use of technology the most progressive departments include justice, finance, health and the South African Revenue Service.
Fraser-Moleketi said that the success of the new website would lie in the ability of her department to provide alternative means to access the information. She added that at this stage citizens can do so by entering one of the 55 service points the department has provided within the South African Post Office through citizen post offices, public information terminals or kiosks, and Internet cafés.
So while a website still seems like an insignificant tool in the greater scheme of things, it is the first step in a series that will hopefully spark new ways for the public to interact with civil services.