Former education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has been assigned to take charge of the departments of e-government and finance in the Gauteng province, replacing Barbara Creecy, who was sworn in as a member of Parliament last week.
The announcement was made this morning, when Gauteng premier David Makhura named the members of his new executive council.
In a statement, Makhura says he has given serious thought about the women and men who would constitute his Cabinet.
He notes the new executive represents accumulated governance experience, new energy and fresh ideas to fulfil the growth and development mandate of the sixth administration.
“These newly-appointed MECs will put the interest of the people first and meet the highest ethical and service delivery standards in the conduct of their work.”
Lesufi, who spearheaded the Gauteng Department of Education's online admissions system, is an advocate of skills development and ICT adoption, making his designation to the e-government department fitting.
Gauteng is the only South African province to have an entire department dedicated to e-government. Established in 2015, the department aims to modernise public service and make Gauteng a smart province. Its mandate is also to fully digitise back-office and citizen-facing services in the province.
In addition, the department is charged with the integration of ICT infrastructure to build cohesive e-services in the province.
An avid social media user, Lesufi took to his Twitter account this morning and tweeted: “I won’t disappoint, thank you so much for your kind messages of support. I am truly humbled. Thank you so much @MYANC @David_Makhura.”
Also joining Makhura’s executive council and making his return is former City of Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who will head up the economic development, agriculture and environment department.
Ramokgopa famously helped introduce free WiFi for Tshwane residents. In 2013, the city partnered with Project Isizwe to introduce the WiFi network, dubbed Tshwi-Fi, and create Internet hotspots across the city.
In March, Tshwane’s new executive mayor Stevens Mokgalapa promised to add 1 000 WiFi hotspots over the next three years.
The members of the executive council will be sworn-in tomorrow at Emoyeni Conference Centre.
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