Wi-fi project in spotlight in legislature
THE department of the premier’s digital transformation agenda came under the microscope in the legislature as members of the standing committee on premier and constitutional matters took issue with the delivery process of the public wi-fi hot spots project.
The members were deliberating on the department’s 2019/20 annual report, which said: “During the financial year under review, 452 hot spots were installed which offered faster speed and greater free data allowance than the initial 178 hot spots.
“The project activated 630 wi-fi hot spots across the province by the end of the financial year under review. This resulted in 120 000 citizens accessing the internet through these wi-fi hot spots every month.”
ANC committee member Cameron Dugmore said: “The department’s description of the wi-fi hot spot strategy says 120 000 people gain access to the internet each month. If you look at the population of the Western Cape, which is around 7 million people, 120 000 amounts to 1.7% of the populace. This seems an incredibly low number. Is this a figure that the province is happy with? What is the actual target?”
Premier Alan Winde said: “The figure of 120 000 depends on the window and what you’re measuring. Also the places where we are rolling out the project is not necessarily where the major private sector firms are rolling out. We are targeting some really remote areas too.
“Our website has a map of the hot spots and you can zoom in to see exactly where they are, specifically the ones in the rural areas. In the broadband strategy there are not just various centres but schools, which is where the big numbers lie.”
With regards to the province’s vision-inspired priorities, Winde said: “Right now we find ourselves in a resurgence space and the questions we are asking ourselves at the moment are where we will roll out vaccine centres, and that will certainly affect our other plans.”
Director-general Harry Malila said: “The department continued to function in an austere fiscal environment, which made it difficult to fully realise its intention to continuously add more value to the services that it renders to the Western Cape government.”