Government tries to explain how a basic website redesign cost taxpayers R750,000
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has provided a vague list of requirements and “features” that had to be implemented for the costly redesign of its DigiTech website to justify its exorbitant price.
The redesigned site launched in March 2023, with the department confirming that it had spent just under R750,000 to achieve this. The original site launched in 2022.
DigiTech is characterised by the department as a “digital products portal” that collects data about digital products developed in South Africa with an aim of supporting the products’ technology enablement and promote and expand their adoption and use.
Despite being live for well over a year, the site features only a handful of digital apps, with very little information and no way to purchase anything or download any of the listed apps.
The site was redesigned following backlash in 2022 about how the original site looked, as well as the low levels of security and data protection applied.
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.
It did not take long for South Africans to poke fun at the system by uploading inappropriate media to it.
However, while the redesign has fixed these issues, it has not drawn a better response.
The website currently features 48 South African apps across various sectors. Some apps contain more detailed descriptions of what they do but lack any further information – such as websites or contact details.
Other apps have contact information, but no description of what they do. None of the apps can be downloaded, and there is generally no indication as to where they can be downloaded.
Responding to a parliamentary Q&A this week asking how the R750,000 was spent building the new website, the department said that the website was developed by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and had no third party involved.
In justifying the R750,000 price tag, the department said that the development of the website included the following key items:
- Project Management
- Infrastructure Provisioning Requirements and Software Upgrade of the O/S
- Upgrade of Application software
- Commissioning of the beta environment at CFI
- Development (analysis, design, and testing)
- User Requirement Specification (URS)
- Conceptual Solution Architecture
- Developing the DigiTech according to the URS
- Updating the Digitech website with the new theme
- Technical Testing
- UAT and Sign-off
- Implementation of Vulnerability assessment scans
- Deployment
Notably, the department did not go into any detail on what each item in the list cost or what each entailed. The justification thus remains broad and vague.
In previous responses, DCDT minister Mondli Gungubele said that the redesign was necessary as “the old DigiTech website did not meet DCDT specifications”, and that security features were enhanced.
“The security of the new DigiTech site has been enhanced and new design has been implemented,” he said.
Democratic Alliance MP Natasha Mazzone, who asked about the costs, slammed the redesign, calling it useless and irrelevant.
Read: Every South African ‘owes’ R70,000 – thanks to the government
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