Abstract
In any developing country, delivering of proper services to the people of the country, on
a national level by the incumbent Government, is crucial to the social and economic
development and stability and security of the country. A sound ICT system is essential to
achieve this.
This PhD (DCom) project investigates the Political Corporate Governance of ICT in the
South African Government and identifies how the lack of such political governance and
accountability for ICT is core to the problems with service delivery, fraud and corruption
in SA. The identified weaknesses of the present system of Political Corporate
Governance of ICT and the relation with bad service delivery was informed by several
strategic reports and audits, amongst others by the Auditor-General of SA.
Using international best practices and standards for ICT, some strategic planning
documents created by the Government itself and by identifying Strategic Pointers, a new
model and structure for Political Corporate Governance of ICT for the South African
Government has been created. It is shown how the new structure, which consolidated
many dysfunctional and disjointed existing ICT governance mechanisms into a sound
structure with clear accountabilities, addressed most, if not all of the problems identified
by the Auditor-General of South Africa. The proposed model is also much more in line
with the outcomes of Government plans over many years, which were never
implemented. The proposed model clearly highlights the importance for Political
Corporate Governance of ICT in a developing country to really leverage the benefits of
ICT for the country as a whole.
One core component of the proposed model, which was escalated right up to the highest
level of Government, is the accountability from the highest level of the political structures
for Information and Cyber Security (ICSec). In the proposed model, accountability for
ICSec was consolidated and escalated right to the top of Government structures. In doing
so, the national security of the country will surely be improved and will therefore have
strategic benefits for SA.
Political governance from the highest level will improve the performance of ICT and allow
to derive maximum value of ICT as a key enabler of government service delivery,
according to the needs of the people of the country. This can be achieved through the
efficient, economic and effective use of resources within an information and cyber secure
environment.
D.Com. (Informatics)