South Africa’s richest province announces big smart city plans
The Gauteng Department of e-Government, Research, and Development wants to use digital innovation to build a “smart Gauteng City Region”.
In a statement, the department says it is accelerating its efforts to achieve this goal through its five-year strategic plan for the period from 2025 to 2030.
“We are entering a critical implementation phase that will define the digital landscape of Gauteng for years to come,” said Koena Mwale, Gauteng director for monitoring and evaluation.
“This is not just about digitising processes but using technology to improve lives, especially in previously disadvantaged communities.”
The department said the 2025/26 financial year marks the start of its new strategic plan, and one of its priorities for the financial year is to implement its 4th Industrial Revolution Growth and Digitalisation strategy.
It said the strategy includes upgrading digital platforms, expanding e-services, and improving user experiences to provide seamless access to government services.
“This also includes the rollout of public Wi-Fi to townships, informal settlements, and hospitals to bridge the digital divide and give communities better access to information and opportunities,” the department stated.
This will involve expanding and maintaining the Gauteng Provincial Network.
Regarding security in the province, the department said digital tools are being deployed to enhance public safety.
This included expanding CCTV surveillance to key areas and enhancing connectivity to command centres to enable faster response times.
The Gauteng Provincial Government will continue to roll out the e-Panic Button app, which enables residents to quickly alert emergency services when required, to all five regions of the province.
“ICT is key in crime prevention, keeping people safe,” said Mwale.
Another priority is the Gauteng ICT Skills Development Strategy, which the provincial government launched to provide digital training to the province’s youth and government employees.
“Digital inclusion begins with digital skills,” said Mwale.
“By equipping people with the right tools and training, we’re helping them succeed in a fast-changing, technology-driven world.”
More free Wi-Fi hotspots for Gauteng
The Gauteng Department of e-Government intensified its efforts to expand free Wi-Fi access to more residents in the province when it launched 30 more hotspots in December 2024.
“The department will be unveiling 30 more new sites connected to the Gauteng Provincial Network under phase 3 of the project, which commenced in the financial year 2023/24,” it said.
“The connected sites include schools, libraries, hospitals, clinics, and community centres.”
The project, which launched in 2014, had connected more than 1,200 sites across the province at the time.
“It is anticipated that by the end of the financial year 2024/25, a total of 353 sites will be provided with Wide Area Network (WAN) and 250 sites will be turned into hotspots,” the department said.
The municipality’s 2024/25 financial year ends on 30 June 2025.
The Gauteng Provincial Government launched the Gauteng Broadband Network project through a tender invitation in January 2013.
It sought the conceptualisation, development, and maintenance of a broadband network comprising 1,600km of high-speed fibre optics.
The project aimed to:
- Build a network to provide coverage to 95% of the province’s population;
- Acquire and use ICTs in a manner that leverages economies of scale; and,
- Provide cost-efficient services to ensure information systems are interoperable between government facilities.
The Gauteng Provincial Government said such a system would enhance service delivery, eliminate unnecessary duplication in the ICT space, and bolster the security of information systems.
“The long wait for delivering affordable broadband access to Gauteng residents will soon be over,” the department said.
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