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The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) attempted to justify the cost of the R750,000 Digitech website by listing several vague requirements and features.
In response to parliamentary questions from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Natasha Mazzone, the department explained that no external service provider was awarded the contract.
Instead, the State Information Technology Agency was tasked with developing the website.
“The purpose of Digitech is to collect data about digital products developed in South Africa with the aim of supporting the products’ technology enablement and promote and expand their adoption and use,” the department said.
“Through Digitech, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies seeks to promote SA-developed digital products in other markets whilst facilitating partnerships with other countries on the co-promotion of local technologies.”
In May 2023, the department revealed that the website cost R743,645 to redesign after a disastrous initial launch. South Africans quickly discovered that the site was riddled with vulnerabilities and quickly exploited them for humorous effect.
Prior to the redesign, the website had officially cost the South African taxpayer nothing. It had been developed during a hackathon.
The DCDT’s justification for the high cost of the Digitech rework is that it included the following key requirements and features:
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Project Management
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Infrastructure Provisioning Requirements and Software Upgrade of the O/S
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Upgrade of Application software
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Commissioning of the beta environment at CFI
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Development (analysis, design, and testing)
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User Requirement Specification
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Conceptual Solution Architecture
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Developing the Digitech according to the URS
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Updating the Digitech website with the new theme
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Technical Testing
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UAT and Sign-off
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Implementation of Vulnerability assessment scans
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Deployment
The R744,000 Digitec platform. (Click to enlarge)The original Digitech website — launched in May 2022 — received heavy criticism from the public, with some describing it as looking “like a high schooler could have developed it”.
Not only did it look dated and amateurish, but it also allowed anyone to sign up for an account and upload any “product” to the platform, complete with promotional images and YouTube videos.
As one may expect, it didn’t take long for South Africans to poke fun at the system by uploading inappropriate media to it.
Then-communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the original website didn’t cost a cent.
The “digital products portal” was revamped following the criticism. However, it didn’t do much to improve the website’s functionality.
Despite featuring a “marketplace” for these digital products, there is no way of purchasing anything or downloading any of the listed apps.
The site doesn’t even include links to where you might access apps online or download them from the Google Play marketplace or Apple App Store.
Mondli Gunubele, South African minister of communications.Communications minister Mondli Gungubele, responding to questions from DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard at the time, said the redesigned site launched on 30 March 2023.
“The old Digitech website did not meet DCDT specifications,” said Gungubele.
“The security of the new Digitech site has been enhanced and a new design has been implemented.”
At the time, Mazzone slammed the Digitech redesign and promised to submit further parliamentary questions to uncover details about the site.
“What on earth is this website useful for?” she asked. “Contracts such as these reek of possible corruption…”
“The DA has submitted further parliamentary questions to ascertain the reasoning for why so much of taxpayer money was spent on an irrelevant website.”
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