By Wandiswa Mncube
Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, says South Africa must upscale the process of digitisation in order to save money. “Through technology and digitisation we would have reduced the operational costs dramatically and would have empowered many to take care of them. selves also reduced the 18 million Rand that is being spent on social grants.”
He says that this was proven during the COVID 19 pandemic when most services went online.
Gungubele was speaking at the South African Internet Governance Forum (ZAIGF) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) where he said he understands that the digital divide that is linked to South Africa’s inequalities is still a major concern as some rural areas don’t have adequate internet connectivity. “As a government, we need to reflect on the improvements we have made and make sure that the internet is accessible in every school and community so that people discover new digital jobs and opportunities.”
South Africa often speaks about the increasing unemployment rate which the deputy minister says can possibly be reversed if job seekers ensure that they have digital skills that are fit for the current needs of the market. A number of DUT students believe that the university is preparing them adequately for this.
“I do feel future-proof to a large extent because our curriculum is very practical,” said IT student, Sibongile Khumalo.
“Digital literacy is becoming increasingly important, especially with electronic health records and telemedicine,” added Nursing student, Amanda Naidoo.
While Marketing student, Sipho Mthembu, feels confident about his job readiness, he said that he would like to get real world training. “We’re learning to use digital marketing platforms and analytics tools, which are vital today, but I think more real-world digital campaign projects would help us gain confidence and practical experience.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo spoke about how we can keep our information secure. “Safeguarding of personal information, whether in the private sector or in the public sector, is our responsibility; responsible parties are struggling to put in place the necessary technical and organisational mechanisms for safeguarding of personal information.”
