The Gauteng Department of e-Government, the provincial agency responsible for digital transformation and ICT services across South Africa's Gauteng province, has received a R1.9 billion budget allocation for the 2026/27 financial year to expand digital infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity and extend online government services.
According to the department, the funding will support a range of initiatives aimed at modernizing public administration, including upgrades to ICT infrastructure, broader access to digital government platforms, technology for public safety, ICT skills development, electronic waste management and the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Office.
One of the largest infrastructure projects involves connecting 300 provincial network sites with broadband services. The rollout will extend connectivity to schools, healthcare facilities, libraries and community centers, with a focus on townships, informal settlements and hostels to improve access to government services.
The department also plans to expand the Gauteng digital platform, which serves as a single point of access for public services, while continuing development of applications such as the province's e-recruitment system and the Gauteng matric app.
Digital service delivery is also being expanded through the province's e-indigent register. The system has already been deployed in Mogale City, Rand West City Local Municipality and Merafong City Local Municipality. Development is nearing completion in Midvaal, Lesedi and Emfuleni local municipalities, after which the department intends to extend the platform to the metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni following consultations and system gap analyses.
To encourage adoption of online services, the department will appoint 75 e-ambassadors to help residents use government digital platforms.
Public safety remains another priority for the investment. The department said it will continue supporting Gauteng's e-policing programme through technology initiatives. To date, 960 CCTV cameras have been installed across the province and more than 184,000 e-panic buttons have been distributed to strengthen emergency response capabilities.
Part of the budget will also support workforce development. The department plans to train 5,500 government officials, award 70 ICT bursaries, provide experiential learning opportunities for 100 young people, support 12,000 participants through the Action Lab Programme and assist 200 township based ICT entrepreneurs through skills development, mentoring and innovation initiatives.
The Youth Tech Expo G13 Hackathon Series will be expanded across Gauteng's five regions, giving participants the opportunity to develop digital solutions addressing provincial priorities such as crime, unemployment, education, healthcare and public service delivery.
The department said cybersecurity and digital resilience will remain central to its modernization programme through continued investment in governance frameworks, security systems and monitoring capabilities designed to protect government data and digital services.
The new AI Office will coordinate the adoption of artificial intelligence across provincial government. According to the department, the office will promote responsible AI use to support service delivery, government operations, public safety and access to digital services while ensuring AI technologies are deployed in an ethical and secure manner.
