Government spends R743k on R957 Digitech website: DA calls for accountability
7 June 2023
The recent revelations regarding the Digitech website and app store have once again exposed the blatant disregard for taxpayer money by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and the ANC government. The fact that R743.644.95 was spent on redesigning the site raises serious questions about the allocation of funds and the competency of those involved.
It is shocking to discover that the Digitech website, which cost taxpayers a significant amount, was built using a mere $49 (R957) template. The question that begs to be answered is: what happened to the remaining R742.687? The Democratic Alliance has previously exposed the exorbitant fees paid for this website/app store, which was a dismal failure from the outset when it was created by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).
Not only did the ANC deem it acceptable to pay a contractor an exorbitant fee at the expense of the taxpayer, but it was also discovered that the site did not even function properly. Anyone could access the administrator function using the generic username and password "admin." This level of incompetence and negligence is completely unacceptable.
Furthermore, it is deeply concerning that when the website/app store was operational, there were no downloadable apps available. This raises further questions about the purpose and functionality of the site. The DA consulted with reputable IT companies who confirmed that this project was charged at least ten times higher than what should have been the reasonable cost.