ICT in Local Government August 2013

1. ICT in Local GovernmentAugust 2013

2. Agenda • Introduction to LG ICT Network • Municipal Website Survey: North West • IT Governance outcomes in the Local Government Audit 2010-11 • The ICT Governance Framework

3. Which municipal functions are touched by ICT? ALL

4. The Local Government ICT Network Support Website Projects

5. Library: Policies, guidelines & templates Email2sms guide Internal guidelines for sms use Infosheet Public notice Guideline Legal & Regulatory Framework on Mobile Communication (SMS) and Social Media Monitoring form on outgoing sms

6. Research: Municipal Website Survey Of 4 districts and 19 local municipalities in North West... • ... 17 municipalities have working websites • ... 2 municipalities have a non-operating website (MamusaLocal Municipality & Dr Ruth SegomotsiMompatidistrict municipality*) • … 4 municipalities don’t have websites (Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality, Maquassi Hills Local Municipality, Tswaing Local Municipality, Naledi local municipal*) All functioning websites provide basic contact information, but only 30%provide any further functional elements or updated information. None of the websites is available in another official language than English and Afrikaans.

7. The 2010-2011 Audit: Weak municipal IT controls • The Audit defined four drivers of IT control: • IT Governance • Security Management • User access management • IT service continuity • Weaknesses in these drivers where already addressed with municipal management after the 2009-2010 audits • Majority of municipalities did not commit to fully address these weaknesses, resulting in only marginal progress

8. Weaknesses identified: IT Governance • There is no IT governance framework to address the lack of IT risk management and strategic alignment of IT with business and structures • There are no service level agreements (SLAs) between the municipalities and the vendors supporting their financial systems. • Municipalities do not monitor the services rendered by service providers. • No memorandum of understanding between the district/ local municipalities with regard to IT services provided by the district municipalities.

9. Weaknesses identified: Security management • Lack of formally documented patch management procedures • IT security policy has not been documented and approved by management • No person is assigned the responsibility for information security at the district municipality and their local municipalities

10. Weaknesses identified: User account management • User account management procedures have not been formally documented and approved • Key monitoring or review of user access profiles and review of administrators have not been performed • Formal access requests have not been used to manage user accounts.

11. Weaknesses identified: IT service continuity • Backup and retention procedures have not been formally documented and approved by management • Backups have not been monitored nor have they been periodically tested and are not kept or retained at an off-site facility

12. Central challenges to overcome • IT still not recognised by management as strategic priority (evident in strategic positioning, reporting lines and oversight of IT) • Overreliance on IT consultants (lack of SLAs to manage consultants and ensure transfer of skills) • Lack of management commitment on IT matters • Lack of IT skills and experience • Lack of funding

13. Roadmap to an ICT Governance Framework • What is an ICT framework? • “A framework that consists of the leadership, organisational structures and processes that ensure that the organisation’s ICT sustains and extends the organisation’s strategies and objectives.”

14. ICT Governance Framework: Focus Content of the Municipal Guide • What the municipality should do to manage and guide ICT to best enable the municipality; • The management of ICT operations in support of business goals and processes of the municipality; and • The M&E of municipal enablement of ICT to ensure effective and efficient service delivery and where possible improve service delivery enablement.

15. ICT Governance Framework: Responsibility • When a framework is written with ICT as its focus area, the business usually just sees it as an ICT effort and ignores it as another “ICT issue”. We should not confuse ICT operational matter with corporate governance of ICT matters. • An enabling environment is the precondition for effectively implemented ICT Governance • Municipal management needs to take ownership of ICT and regard it as an enabler of the business strategy (IDP) • A Corporate Governance of ICT Framework is a system by which the current and future use of ICT is directed and controlled. This management system includes policies, plans, organisational structures, processes and governance mechanisms to enable the effective management of ICT resources.

16. ICT Governance Framework: Areas of activity • Business-IT strategic alignment, so that current ICT operations support the business and future ICT organisation enable the business; • ICT value delivery, identify and perform those ICT activities that actually deliver value to the business; • Risk management, that must become an integral part of all ICT processes so that risks are identified and be dealt with; • Performance measurement, to monitor if goals are reached and provide directions for improvement where deviations are observed.

17. ICT Governance Framework: Functional levels • Executive Authority level: Mayors, Municipal Managers Evaluate, Direct and Monitor the performance of ICT against plans, internal policies, external obligations and strategic objectives • Executive Management Level: Municipal Managers / Executives Plan, Supervise, Check and Act to effectively and efficiently leverage ICT resources. Establish an IT steering committee, chaired by the Municipal Managers to ensure coordinated IT decisions taken • Process / Operational Level: activities are performed, controlled and checked in alignment with business objectives

18. ICT Governance Framework: Components • A management system which enables the effective management of ICT resources. • Should (at least) include the following components: • An ICT Governance Charter • A RACI Chart (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) • Measurement and Monitoring • ICT Controls • Internal Audit (evaluate governance processes; asses effectiveness of risk management and internal controls…)

19. ICT Governance Framework: Standards • Main standards & best practices that should be referenced: • ICT Governance • COBIT®; Control Objectives for Information and related Technologies • ISO 38500; Corporate Governance Standard • King III Code of Governance (specifically chapter 5) • Service Management • ITIL; IT Infrastructure Library, version 2 & 3 • ISO 20000; IT Service Management Standard • Information Security Management • ISO 27001/2 Information Security Standard • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Management • BS 25999; Business Continuity Management • ISO 24762; Disaster Recovery Management

20. ICT Governance Framework: Self Assessment • Guideline and template for self assessment of municipalities • Including questions by Auditor General (as used for internal IT audits) • Evaluation of ICT Governance should be applied at least once a year

21. ICT Governance Framework: Self Assessment

22. The way forward Design Implementation Monitoring • Self assessment • Informational session on ICT Governance to all municipal functions by municipal management • Development of ICT Governance policy • Steered and overviewed by municipal management / ICT Steering committee • Agreement on roadmap for roll-out by municipal management • Training on ICT Governance policy • Informational fact sheet • Check on status of implementation, address obstacles • Staff to report to committee • Committee to address obstacles / challenges, report to municipal management • Municipal management to address challenges not solved by SteeCo Support by LG ICT and SALGA provincial offices Support by other national and provincial stakeholders (e.g. DPSA, DoC…)

23. Thank you

24. Backup

25. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA The data was assessed according to six different criteria: • Website exists and works • Contact information is provided and works • Content provided covers a broad range of formats and topics and is up-to-date • Website is accessible in different languages • Website promotes interactive functions • Website provides participation opportunities

26. 2. CONTACT INFORMATION All municipal websites provided these contact details: • switchboard telephone number, • postal address, • physical address, • name of the municipal manager, • name of the mayor, • general fax number and • municipal email address Missing contact details were: • SMS number • There is a link to all municipal websites on http://www.municipalities.co.za. See Backup for detailed information

27. 3.1 AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION • Of the 17 municipalities with working websites... • ... 15 provide annual reports, budgets reports and information on rates & tariffs, of which xx , xx and xx respectively were updated in 2013 • .... 16 provide financial statements, IDPs, SDFs, LED Strategies and PMS information. Of the xx, xx were updated in 2013, while xx of the XX were last updated in xx • ... Only 4-6 provide information on Employment Equity Strategies, Disaster Management Strategies and Land Use Management Strategies • ... Only 2 provide information on business licenses, permit applications and planning & rezoning See Backup for detailed information

28. 3.2 INFORMATIONAL SERVICES • Of the 17 municipalities with working websites... • ... 16 provide newsletters, tourism information and information on tenders and vacancies, of which xx are up to date.. • ... 6 provide notes of public meetings and hearings by the council, of which only xx are updated (from 2012 or 2013) • ... Only 1 provide a website privacy policy • ... Only 2 provide the names and delegations of Members of the Mayoral Committee, and only 3 provide the names and contact details of section 57 managers • ... none provide information on local traffic • All websites are available in English. • None of the websites are available in Afrikaans. • None of the websites are available in any other official South African language See Backup for detailed information

29. 4. LANGUAGES All websites are available in English. No websites are available in Afrikaans. None of the websites are available in any other official South African language. See Backup for detailed information

30. 5. INTERACTIVE FORMS • Of the 17 municipalities with working websites... • ... None provide interactive forms for tender applications • ... None provide interactive forms for job applications • ... 6 provide interactive forms for geographic systems and supplier registration • ... None provide interactive forms for business licenses, permit applications, property tax rates lookup, online payments or technical requests See Backup for detailed information

31. 6. PARTICIPATORY OPTIONS • Of the 17 municipalities with working websites... • ... 9 provide web 2.0 services (like Facebook, Twitter) • ... 9 provide the opportunity to submit comments • ... 5 provide conversation forums or blogs • ... 2 provide online surveys / polls • ... None provide video streams of council meetings or a customization of the website See Backup for detailed information

32. OVERVIEW North West

33. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MUNICIPALITIES (1/3) All municipalities should make sure that their websites comply with the basic legal requirements, as stated below: • Assessment Criterion 2: The municipality should provide all relevant contact details and contact opportunities for the public to be able to communicate and to be in contact with the municipality, as required in the “Local Government: Municipal Systems Act (No.32 of 2000)” http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=68199)

34. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MUNICIPALITIES (2/3) • Assessment Criterion 3.1: The municipality should provide municipal information such as Land Use Management strategies, Disaster Management Strategy etc., as required in the “Municipal Finance Management Act no. 56 of 2003 (http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/acts/2003/a56-03.pdf)” • Assessment Criterion 3.2: The municipality should provide other external information that the public should have access to e.g. tenders, vacancies, address of libraries a.s.o., as required in the “Local Government Municipal Property Rates Act 2004 Act no. 6 of 2004 (http://www.cogta.gov.za/index.php/documents/doc_view/15--local-government-municipal-property-rates-act-2004-act-no-6-of-2004.raw?tmpl=component)

35. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MUNICIPALITIES (3/3) The municipalities should further try to improve their websites as tools for digital inclusion, by: • Assessment Criterion 4: Providing a translation of the website in another official South African language that is spoken in their area, or providing translations of important documents and news in that language • Assessment Criterion 5: Providing online functional features, like i.e. job applications, tender applications or permit applications. • Assessment Criterion 6: Providing online community participation opportunities like conversation forums or blogs, video streams of council meetings, web 2.0 services like i.e. Facebook or Twitter.

36. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SALGA NORTH WEST • Approach the municipalities without (or dysfunctional / underperforming) websites to assess the reasons for their low score (e.g. lack of capacity, knowledge...) • Support municipalities without (or dysfunctional / underperforming) websites to be to comply with the relevant regulations and make their websites tools for digital inclusion, e.g. by • conducting workshops (rules & regulations for websites, website development, website management...) • inviting “Website-Champions” from well performing municipalities to present to underperforming municipalities and act as “website mentors” • enabling inter-municipal work exchanges of ICT managers • facilitate professional advisory and support

37. BACKUP • Detailed data on municipal websites in North West • Screenshots and links of all municipal websites in North West

38. 3.1 AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

39. 3.1 AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

40. 3.2 INFORMATIONAL SERVICES

41. 3.2 INFORMATIONAL SERVICES

42. 5. INTERACTIVE FORMS

43. 6. PARTICIPATORY OPTIONS