Note to Editors: Attached please find a soundbite in English here by Michael Waters MPL.
Despite a recent data breach, the Gauteng Department of e-Government is still relying on an outdated 2017 organisational structure and has only six internal officials responsible for cyber security. This is a failure that puts residents’ personal information and sensitive government data at risk of cybersecurity attacks.
The DA calls on the MEC for e-Government, Bonginkosi Dhlamini, and Provincial Treasury to urgently prioritise the implementation of an organisational structure that is aligned to the department’s current responsibilities and ensures that critical technical functions, particularly cybersecurity and network services, are adequately resourced.
In replies to questions tabled by the DA in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), MEC Dhlamini admits that the department is still operating on a structure designed in 2017, despite its responsibilities having expanded significantly over the past eight years. The MEC further concedes that the current structure is not aligned with the Gauteng Digital Strategy, provincial priorities, or the department’s long-term e-Government goals.
These revelations come only months after the Gauteng Government suffered a data breach affecting its online recruitment system and at a time when the department is responsible for protecting critical provincial ICT infrastructure.
This department, responsible for broadband, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and ICT services, has not yet upgraded despite evolving technology since 2017. Premier Lesufi’s government is clearly not serious about using artificial intelligence (AI) and modern digital technology to improve education and create job opportunities while failing to properly resource the department e-Government.
Even more concerning is that the department’s new organisational structure was developed and submitted to the Department of Public Service and Administration in 2021 but could not be implemented because the Gauteng Provincial Treasury did not provide funding.
This raises serious questions about the provincial government’s commitment to protecting and modernising Gauteng’s digital infrastructure.
The MEC further revealed that the department has 158 vacant posts. There are 224 officials in Human Resources Services compared with only 201 employees in ICT Shared Services. There are only six internal employees responsible for cybersecurity services, supported by an outsourced Security Operations Centre.
Furthermore, only 11 employees are responsible for the Gauteng Provincial Network, while the department admits that the network still has no officially approved organisational structure.
Despite the department’s increasingly technology-intensive mandate, it only commenced a departmental skills audit in February 2026, with the findings still outstanding.
The MEC’s admission that the department’s structure is outdated and unsuitable should concern every Gauteng resident.
The DA will write to Premier Lesufi seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that Provincial Treasury prioritises allocating funds to upgrade e-Government’s organisational structure.
The DA in Gauteng is the only party committed to ensuring that the Gauteng Provincial Government has the most up-to-date technology that can deliver the best quality services to its residents. We will accomplish this by ensuring adequate resource allocation to departments, enabling them to enhance technology-driven initiatives in the province.