​Lerato Mailoane
Gauteng residents who are unemployed but struggle to receive benefits such as free electricity and water due to inaccuracies in the current indigent register will soon see relief. The Gauteng Provincial Government is set to launch an online indigent register in October.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi made the announcement at the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday, 23 August, at the Tsakani Stadium in Ekurhuleni.
The e-indigent register is expected to significantly aid households in need, ensuring that those who qualify for free basic services are accurately recorded and can access the benefits they are entitled to.
"We have now agreed with all executive mayors in our last lekgotla. We are introducing an e-register from October this year. This register would be linked to databases of government and retail stores so that whoever is employed must not benefit from free benefits that are due to our people."
Premier Lesufi said that thanks to the Ekurhuleni mayor, they have introduced a new threshold that does not exclude those who are getting social grants or who are unemployed. 
"What it means is that if you are poor and we have registered you, we have checked the database, you will receive all free services without being asked who you are in all municipalities in our province".
The Premier said the provincial government has identified 26 townships with free Wi-Fi connections across the province.
"Together with MTN, with Huawei, and into IT, we want to make 26 of our townships access reliable, dependable free Wi-Fi.
"The children of the poor have a right to do their homework at home using free Wi-Fi so they can access these services. The future is no longer about water and electricity only. The future is about data so that those who are unemployed can send their CVs utilising free Wi-Fi," he said.
The future is no longer about water and electricity only; it is about data so that the unemployed can search for work or work from home.
He told the President that the biggest challenge the province is facing is unemployment.
"We are proud that we are leading the biggest rail expansion of the O.R. Tambo to Springs. During construction, the project will create 75,000 new permanent jobs.