Operations at Government Printing Works being hamstrung by reliance on SITA

CAPE TOWN - Much of the ineffectiveness of government's printing works has been blamed on the Department of Public Works and SITA, government’s information technology agency.

Following a surprise visit recently by Parliament's Home Affairs committee, the printing works was again before the House on Tuesday, to provide a progress report on how it’s implementing recommendations to turn around operations.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said there's no point in speeding up the issuing of national documents if the printing works could not match the output.

Parliament's Home Affairs portfolio committee was unimpressed by what it found on its visit to the Government Printing Works at its Bosman Street premises in Pretoria.

The printing works is not only responsible for the security printing of national documents, but also exam papers and other government materials.

CEO Alinah Fosi said the poor state of the 50-year-old building made it difficult to install state of the art machinery and its needing to outsource information technology help to get systems up to scratch.

Schreiber said that the operations were being hamstrung by the reliance on the State Information Technology Agency.

"If you don’t have the level of technology and cybersecurity that you require to function, then it has cross-cutting and cascading effects."

Schreiber said that the 2021 IT crash was a wake-up call for the printing works to reposition itself in the digital space.

"I think it forces one to really evaluate systems and processes and the centrality of technology."

The committee has implored Schreiber and his deputy to visit the printing works premises before returning to Parliament to discuss the problems encountered during their oversight visit.