We have, as our foundation, the huge achievement of the first 11 years of democracy. We now need to realise the extraordinary potential of our nation. We need to truly become the beacons of development, democracy and social harmony for Africa and the world that we can be. One of our goals is to be an accessible City.
The City of Cape Town has made great strides in terms of Information Technology [IT]:
The City has the most up-to-date information management system in Africa.
- The Enterprise Resource Planning [ERP] System entailed a major upgrade of the City's computer and IT systems in a drive to improve overall efficiency and achieve long-term cost savings. I was privileged to attend the Smithsonian Institute / Computerworld Honours Award Ceremony in Washington during 2004 - and received the winning prize when our sap-erp Project was recognised as being the most significant IT project in government and non-profit organisations in the world.
- Winner of the African ICT Achievers E-Government Award In 2003 & 2004.
- Winner of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Prize for technology projects.
- Our system transformed the administration from an old-fashioned, over-the-counter-run system into a user-friendly, effective on-line operation.
As a world-class city, the City of Cape Town in December 2000 recognised the need for using technology to transform the organisation to better serve the residents and communities of Cape Town.
The City is the first local government in Africa to implement a fully-fledged ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning] programme.
By September 2003 the City had established the largest local government-sector SAP installation in the world.
Through the implementation of SAP/ERP the City has positioned itself in not only being a leader in local government service delivery, but also a strong contender as an international role-player.
This ERP System has offered our organisation an integrated solution to managing financial, revenue, operations, human resources and other services on a single completely integrated IT system.
With the implementation of the ERP program the City has taken the need for better and more effective service delivery to heart, and by doing this we have taken the bold step in bridging the digital divide.
I want to emphasise that:
- IT should be about empowerment
- IT should be about rendering a better service to all
- IT should be about upliftment
The City's success in the implementation of ERP would not have been possible without the willingness of staff to change and transform. I'm extremely proud of our staff and their commitment to this project and its goal of improved service delivery.
The people of the City of Cape Town, from all our communities, are like people elsewhere in our country, and in Africa, driven by hope and confidence in a future, that promises a better life. We believe in the future of this city, province, country and Africa. We are taking on the challenges that stand in the way of achieving a better life for the people of our city.
As local government, we have responded to this challenge in a practical manner by working, in partnership, with the private sector and tertiary institutions, provincial and national government, through our Smart City strategy to expose people to information and communication technology, and to steer them to where support and opportunities are to be found.
We, as the City of Cape Town, seek to make meaningful in-roads into our nation's second economy, using ICT. We all know that the second economy is essentially the informal sector, or one can say, the non-mainstream economy. ICT can help to streamline activities in this sector and bring about acceptance of its contributions to job creation and social well-being. This was also highlighted at the 2003 World Summit on Information Society.
In taking this route - we have implemented our Smart Cape Access Project and our Digital Business Centres, which clearly show that access to ICT, equals access to opportunities for all our communities, especially the less privileged.
Our Kulisa Youth Development Programme - focused on equipping 130 youth from previously disadvantaged communities with an ICT technical skill to operate in the new economy. This programme is one of the largest learnership programmes in the country.
The successful implementation of our Enterprise Resource Programme, the City's new computer system, ensures that all City business is conducted from one computer system.
My wish is that this conference will prove to be a great success and that your visit will be very fruitful.
Please experience and enjoy the hospitality, and warmth, of our mother City.
Issued by:
Directorate: Communication and Marketing
City Of Cape Town
Email: media@capetown.gov.za
Tel: 021 400 2201
Fax: 021 957 0023
Tel: 021 400 1311
Cell: 082 448 5217
