Dear Editor
Attention broadcasters: Find English audio clip from MPP Lorraine Botha attached. Pictures from the NIOC are attached here and here.
Today the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Premier and Constitutional Matters conducted an oversight visit to the Provincial Government’s Network, Infrastructure and Operations Centre (NIOC), as well as Grootte Schuur Hospital.
The NIOC is the nerve centre from where all connectivity related to government services, as well as free public hotspots are monitored. From the NIOC, the team is able to see exactly what is happening across the province at 1328 public hotspots, as well as government buildings such as hospitals and schools, and respond instantly to any outages that may occur. The monitoring systems run 24/7, meaning that as soon as something goes wrong, it is already being dealt with.
The Western Cape Government is prioritising connectivity for our more underserved citizens. Currently, citizens can use up to 6GB of data per month at any free hotspot. The practical impact of this was evident during our visit to Grootte Schuur, where people waiting were able to use their devices to access communication, the news, and even look for job opportunities, completely free of charge.
During June 2022, approximately 250TB of data was consumed via the free hotspots. If you take current retail prices for data at approximately R100 per GB, this translates to a massive saving of R25 million for our citizens.
MPP Lorraine Botha says, “I was impressed by the wealth of data and expert knowledge that was displayed by the team at the NIOC. In the modern world knowledge is a pathway to a better life, and expanding access to knowledge through internet connectivity is an excellent investment from this government, as it is an investment in the social mobility of our people. The DA has always been committed to creating opportunities for the advancement of our citizens, and it is heartening to see that where we govern, this commitment is being implemented to great effect.”
Regards
Lorraine Botha, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Premier and Constitutional Matters
