Gauteng MEC for Finance and e-Government, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has noted with concern the media reports about the alleged irregularities into the appointment of the service provider for the Security Operations Centre as published in the City Press, the Star and ITWeb.
The SOC significantly contributes to the detection, analysis and incident management of cybersecurity activities within the province. SOC is a critical and necessary solution for GPG to be protected from cybersecurity threats and malicious activities.
The Company Gauteng Security Operation Centre (Pty)Ltd, and its predecessor has been providing cyber security services for the past 16 years. The first initial appointment was for a period of 3 years which commenced on the 1 May 2005 - 31 May 2008, the bid was awarded to Lefatshe Technologies (Proprietary) Limited. The scope of work expanded for a period of 2 years from 20 November 2008 - 20 November 2011. The contract was extended for another 5 years from the 1 April 2011 - 31 March 2016. There after Lefatshe Technologies (Proprietary) Limited changed its name to G-SOC Services (Pty)Ltd in 2017 from here on the contract has been on a month to month until its termination. In the 2016/17 financial year the Auditor-General's (AG) departmental findings stated that the Security Operation Centre (SOC) contract and all extensions after the contract expired in March 2016 were declared as irregular expenditure. The SOC irregular expenditure was also raised by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Finance Oversight Committee and Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). Even after the AG's findings the department continued with the irregular expenditure on a month - month basis until the contract was terminated. It was also established through the Basic Accounting System (BAS) which is linked online to the Centralised Supplier Database (CSD) that service provider is not tax compliant. MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko as a custodian of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) in the Gauteng Province is committed to ensure that proper administrative and financial accountability are adhered to by departments and urges all her counterparts to act against irregular expenditure. The MEC further urged all service providers doing business with the Gauteng government to adhere to all legislated requirements. In line with her mandate to enforce clean audits in all departments, the MEC supports measures being put in place to reduce irregular expenditure in the Department of e-Government. MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko has decided to initiate an investigation on the allegations and provide a full report to all stakeholders.
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