The Gauteng Department of e-Government needs R700 million for internet infrastructure upgrades but lacks the necessary funds.

According to Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Spokesperson for e-Government Michael Waters this puts the internet security of Gauteng government departments at risk of having their data stolen or systems being hacked.

“Should this happen, the residents of this province will have difficulty getting any service delivery from the government.”

Waters said this was revealed during a recent oversight inspection by the Portfolio Committee on e-Government at the Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Rivonia.

“Cybersecurity remains a constant concern as hackers continuously try to hack the system, and while attempts have been made, there has been no breach of security.”

He furthermore added that the current security strategy was developed for the 2020/2025 period, and although the security strategy ought to be updated annually because of the advances made in technology, this has not been done due to financial constraints.

“Given that the Auditor General (AG) raised concerns regarding the network penetration tests and pointed out some weaknesses, the e-Government Department must be funded adequately.

“As we move to an increasingly more digitised environment where government services are accessed and people’s private information is stored, it is essential that our network is upgraded urgently and that our security strategy is updated annually.”

Waters said the DA demands that this department receive adequate funding to upgrade its IT security systems.

“A DA government would ensure that all Information Technology (IT) security protocols are reviewed every six months and, where needed, the current systems are in place to upgrade the security protocols.”

The Gauteng Department of e-Government has not yet provided comment on this.

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