Money wasted!
Last year we heard that the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission, who oversee our electoral process ensuring a free and fair election) would have their website overhauled so that it was compliant in all browsers, at a cost of R3million!
Now that might sound like a lot of money, it might not. If it was tax payers money (which I’m sure it was partly/wholely funded – then I’m disgusted and I want my share back!
Just look at these two screenshots of the IEC website and even more shockingly the WorldCup 2010 website supposedly promoting the event for South Africa in 2010.
Independent Electoral Commission website (click to visit site)
South Africa 2010 website (click to visit site)
Now, a quick cursory check in the source of the website revelas that the author was proud enough of his work to put his name in the meta-tags.
Just take a look at this guy’s “resume” – wonder how he got the job? Pathetic!
I’ve been in this industy and business for a long time now and I know you can achieve 1000 times better quality work for 1% of what was spent – truly shocking to say the least!
If you feel the same way, why not go and sign my petition.
Update: 06 February 2009 – News24.com have picked up on the chatter on the various blogs and forums about the IEC website and the costs associated with building it – you can read more here.
Comments re-opened should anyone else wish to comment on this topic.
Deems's Weblog 
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 10:31
Looks like this dev is still stuck in the early nineties of crappy HTML development 🙂
I’m with you on this one. Give my tax money back
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 10:48
I also want my tax money back!!!
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 12:44
holy cow! I’m speechless…
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 15:50
Pretty poor design and usability, but I don’t think southafrica2010.co.za is an official site, just some speculative cybersquatting that Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale has set up in the hope of scoring some sponsorship money. Interesting that he is happy to put that on his departmental cv.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 16:06
@Tom – it might not be the official one but still what kind of impression does that give? If I were working for SA Tourism I’d hunt the guy down and have him pull that site down!
Other official sites include:
Fifa.com
SouthAfrica.Info
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 17:01
i nearly choked in my kafei latei when i saw these deplorable sites. oh my word – what an embarrassment to anyone involved! those of us in the IT industry KNOWS that we can easily compare and beat any so-called first-world country when it comes to IT initiatives, which makes this such a slap in the face of anyone delivery high international quality work every day in our country!
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 17:09
@Red – couldn’t have said it better myself!
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 22:07
Seriously… wtf!!! That gives an AWFUL first impression, there should quickly be a site built to counter this. For all SA’s… I feel your pain.
Sunday, 25 January 2009 at 19:01
That is truly shocking! Some people have not got a clue, but the most worrying thing is they don’t know that they don’t have a clue. Shame!
Sunday, 25 January 2009 at 22:40
@Joe, @BG – tell me about it!
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 12:24
@ Deem,
R 3 Million? What R 3 Million is that? I am just a web developer earning R 4 000p/m. The 2010 website has nothing to do with the IEC or FIFA. Where is your self created blog anyway? I want to see it or any lame attempts you did at web development.
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
www. PDCA.co.za
www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 14:25
@Malesela – With regard to the R3m take a look here and here.
The 2010 website may have nothing to do with the IEC website, in fact, I didn’t mention at all that the one had to do with the other. What I did mention was, which you so proudly made sure of, was the fact that it was the same person, yourself, that supposedly built them since your name, contact details and email address appear as the “author” of both sites.
I’m all for promotion of one’s work but in this day and age if you produce the quality of work that is shown by the IEC and 2010 websites, and promote them where ever you can, like your signature you insist on including in every forum/blog you post then people are going to start commenting about the quality of work – and question the supposed money spent on producing such work.
And if you really are a junior developer then there’s a serious quality control oversight with regard to the launching of the IEC and 2010 websites with your credentials in the source.
I’ve worked my butt off the last 11+ years, that I’ve been involved in commercial web and application development, that my reputation, references from colleagues, associates and friends far outweighs the need to copy and past URL’s of websites I’ve built all over the place.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 14:35
R 4 000p/m!!!!!!!!!! now i understand why the quality/standard is that low!!! LOL
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 14:53
@MR. M – this response has nothing to do with IEC or R3M.
Your 2010 website looks bad. The design will draw traffic but only for the shock factor (google goatse to understand what the shock factor is).
Have you designed the site to be cross brower and cross OS compatible? You are using Silverlight for the game. Silverlight is only supported on Windows (currently version 2+). Linux has a ported version called Moonlight which is in version 1. So you might be excluding a large visitor base because of the architecture you have chosen for your site.
If you don’t have a friend who can help you with the design – ask for help in forums and social networks – there are loads of people who would be keen. If you are not comfortable with that google for free website templates – there are many around.
I hear you saying you are a junior developer but ignorance is no excuse for bad delivery – not with so many resources available to our disposal.
PS. This is intended to be constructive critisim – if you can’t handle it then its too bad
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 14:58
oops – correction, Silverlight is also supported on Mac
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 15:36
@Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale,
“I want to see it or any lame attempts you did at web development.”
My poor deluded fellow, you should not criticise other people’s work before you have seen it and certainly not when yours is so cr@p.
Deems’ work is by no means “lame” but impeccable. It is 3m times better than yours! Ooops! I should not say that because 3m X 0 = 0! Scrap that comparison. You could only ever dream / wish to be as good as him. I hope that Deems does not show you any of his work because that would be wasted on you. Enjoy the gravy train while it lasts!
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 16:20
I wish I had the time and luxury to listen to you talk the whole day. I am going back to my work.
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
http://www. PDCA.co.za
http://www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
http://www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 16:54
You can go home now and stop directing your browsers to this cr@p. Ain’t nothing happening here. Just some bunch of losers who were not selected to do the IEC Website.
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
http://www. PDCA.co.za
http://www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
http://www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 17:06
@Malesela – with the quality of work that you put out there on the public domain it definitely looks like you need to concentrate more on your work than on trolling around blogs.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 17:21
blablabla – All I hear is a cry baby not wanting to listen to some real advice. Sorry dude – we’re not the ones earning R4K a month, you are.
You keep working on your crapsite (I don’t want my name associated with that crap) and we’ll keep surfing the net, writing our blogs, tweeting, getting our daily dose fantasticus (wait @deems you missed a couple of days), drinking our single malt, playing poker, taking pics with our expensive cameras and living it up like real professionals because we are.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 17:32
@dre – “Living it up? Yes, we can!” 😉 I’m so behind on Funtasticus.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 09:02
All I have to say is that as a consumer, web user and involved in usability, and service, I certainly won’t recommend Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale’s work. But, that is MHO 🙂
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 10:04
@All – Thanks to everyone’s comments and participation. I think there’s just one more thing left to say to @Malesela:
Maybe you should take a look at this – I don’t think you’re being completely honest when you say you only earn R4k/month, doing what you do, especially considering your resume. But then again one’s work speaks volumes.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 16:32
@ Deems
Believe you me I wouldn’t be on your cheap, no let me rephrase that, free, blog if you never mentioned my name here. The search engines brought me here. You should also be out there starting your own initiative and stop using WordPress. You are giving this beautiful CMS a bad name. UBER LOOOOOSER!
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
http://www. PDCA.co.za
http://www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
http://www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 17:49
@Malesela – the only reason I’m approving your spamming comments is to show the world how childish you are – dude grow up – then maybe you can start learning a thing or two and earn more than your, alleged, R4k a month.
Thursday, 12 March 2009 at 10:31
Just one question… do you have a friend called Julias? You might consider getting a PR manager as he did.
Thursday, 12 March 2009 at 10:33
Soz Deems, I clicked wrong reply button… wanted it under Malesela’s comment.
Thursday, 12 March 2009 at 10:46
@Foops – no worries – we get the idea 🙂
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 17:57
I think the problem here is that a blog is being misrepresented. The purpose of Deems’ blog is to communicate information, nothing more. It’s a personal journal, not a Governmental representation – big difference.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 18:01
sigh hes a troll
stop feeding him.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 19:51
Guys this is bordering on cyber bullying
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 20:51
I think that due to poor management, Mr Malesela has been bitten off a project that is clearly way too much to chew.
The saddest part about this ordeal, is that these projects are usually awarded on a tender process. If this job was done as an internal project, there should have been a screening process in place to avoid developers like Mr Malesela from releasing products like this into the world.
The budget of the project is a big concern, but an even bigger concern, is that the relevant departments are run by really poor managers/directors who have allowed these websites to be launched.
Accountability for delivering such horrid websites should lay square in the face of Mr Malesela’s managers and the management chain that should exist above him. He has said on numerous occasions that he is only a junior developer (though with a humorously long list of technologies on his CV) and it is very clear by his response to the matter that he wears the badge of maturity that is fairly unique.
Mocking him and his work, will sadly not correct the matter. However, calling for some level of accountability and ensuring that Mr Malesela is trained accordingly and provided the necessary opportunities to improve himself and hopefully never release products into the world of this shoddy standard.
It truly saddens me to see the lack of initiative and the unwillingness to accept help from MANY that have offered.
Mr Malesela, in the small ICT industry that exists in South Africa, your single biggest mistake would be to attack someone on a blog/twitter/any social platform. You clearly have experienced a very short career and while I wish that you are provided with every opportunity to improve, I urge you to not burn bridges.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 21:53
@DChetty – thanks for stopping by and making some valuable points. Hopefully Malesela will treat this as a valuable learning experience, although I’m not holding my breath.
Thursday, 29 January 2009 at 17:03
@ Sean
Your brain is not usable enough. Get that usable first.
Thursday, 29 January 2009 at 17:47
@Malesela – dude, seriously, go and get a life. This thread is now closed.
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 11:44
If you look closely at the source it’s all copied from other “template” javascript, and this guy still “builds” using tables… It’s like a site template from 1995. The suckerworldcup2010.com site is a abomonation IN ADOBE FIREWORKS! Please fire this guy… give a proper designer R10K and get a real site hand crafted in CSS with some PHP in the backend. Not this rubbish.
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 12:06
[…] Wogan added on the same blog. "What an embarrassment to anyone involved," Red wrote on Deem’s Weblog. "Those of us in the IT industry know that we can easily compare and beat any so-called […]
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 12:36
I can’t believe what I am reading here! For all executives with no freaking clue whatsoever that have to make similar decisions in the future: Here is a guideline – Does my website suck?.
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 12:37
It looks like the site interface has suddenly been redesigned…
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 12:40
@RG – I thought so too, but it’s only the landing page – the home page and rest of the website still look as shockingly bad as before.
Friday, 6 February 2009 at 13:34
If you can’t take the heat… Call someone to haul your backside out of the kitchen…
Saturday, 7 February 2009 at 11:42
You guys all have good intentions but it appears that you are all wasting your time with this @Malesela guy. Go forth and produce beautiful web pages that @Malesela can only dream of, or perhaps not, because he is suffering from delusions of grandeur.
Sunday, 8 February 2009 at 16:53
@ Malesela Samuel Mogale
Do you honestly think that you have done a good job for government? By the looks of things you seem a very proud and arrogant person. All the certificates in the world doesnt make you a good designer my friend, back-end coding has nothing to do with good design, layout and colour schemes. I think the budget has really gotten to your head – you know which one too.
As a GRAPHIC DESIGNER I think your design is really pathetic, amateur and lacks good layout. The colour scheme is useless and terrible. Fine, you could have done the backend coding but for God’s sake get a good damn designer for the look – you can afford it.
Please dont question my design skills because I have been in design before you were even tickling in your fathers pants.
This is a waste of money.
Monday, 9 February 2009 at 11:31
@ Rashaad,
Yes I have done a good job. I am not a Designer, I am currently a System Analyst. Who said that all Certificates, Degrees or Diplomas will make me a good designer or Back-End coding has anything to do with good design, layout and color schemes? Are you bloemin deluded? What fricken budget?
Yes I also don’t think I am the best Graphic Designer to hit this Rock BECAUSE I AM NOT A FRICKEN GRAPHIC DESIGNER! I am a WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 specialist hired as a System Analyst for the IEC.
I ALSO DIDN’T DO THE BACK END. I only enabled it to be cross browser functional. I WONT FRICKEN QUESTION YOUR DESIGN SKILLS. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE THAT FRICKEN SPECIAL? The fact that you basterdize my name on BIG HEADED DEEM’S FREE WORDPRESS BLOCK?
Monday, 9 February 2009 at 13:31
Nope, you’ve done that all on your own – go back to all the forums and blog postings you’ve commented on and you’ll see why, or maybe not.
And on the “I’m not a graphic designer” comment, why is the following “Graphic Designer (Intranet, Internet and Extranet)” on your resume then if you claim NOT to be a graphic designer?
Sunday, 15 February 2009 at 01:30
I see nobody even bothers to post here anymore. Well good-bye dear old friend. Here is my last input to this dead blog of yours. You see Deem, I am a multi skilled Intellectual. Graphic Design is just one of those skills. The ones that I use extensively now are WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007. Call all your friends at iMod, http://www.mypetition.co.za/index.php?page=sign_petition&petition_id=294, Broadband & ADSL Forum and the 133T crew and go to the highest building you can find. Sign a petition. Hold hands and jump!
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
www. PDCA.co.za
www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Sunday, 15 February 2009 at 09:52
@Malesela, the number of times you’ve spun things around and around you should have been a spin doctor in politics. Oh and just because you know a term, or a name of a product doesn’t mean it’s one of your skills. I too can throw around design terms, statistical, mathematics, engineering, etc but that doesn’t make me skilled in any of them just because I know a few buzzwords. Grow up.
Monday, 16 February 2009 at 01:13
@ Deem,
Deem good old friend. I am really tired of saying nasty things. It makes me weary and gives me gray hair. You see, I am not even like that (all nasty and vulgar). I am a good and kind hearted somebody.
I have a lecture that used to lecture Communications Studies way back when I was studying Mechanical Engineering in TWR (no UJ) and he used to tell me that I should study law. A whole lot of people tell me that and that I sound like a politician. But the problem is that I enjoy the Internet and e-commerce. So Internet/Intranet/Extranet development really satisfies me.
I am not throwing terms around. If that was the case then I would have listed JAVA, J2EE, Dynamics CRM, SAP ERP, SAS, Datawerehousing, ETL, BI, Cognos, Mainframe, AS/400, COBOl, Unix, ORACLE, SYBASE, RPG, LINUX, JSP and the list is endless, as my skills. But no I haven’t. I only listed things that I work with on a day-to-day business. Things that are relevant in today’s economy.
I thought I sad goodbye on my last post. So please I don’t want to come back to this block again.
Saturday, 21 February 2009 at 11:56
@ Deems,
Stumbled across your blog today and will definitely be back – the GCSE exam responses are killer! 🙂
Anyway, had a piece of news from a friend of mine who works at the IEC that I just had to share… (drum roll please)… “Mr” Malesela Mogale was dissed and dismissed over a week ago!
Oh, and not that it will come as a surprise to anybody but that pathological liar was on contract earning more than R4k a month.
Just goes to show… karma will always get ya in the end.
Awesome weekend everybody!
Saturday, 21 February 2009 at 12:10
@JB – thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the content, I’ll try and keep it up 🙂
Regarding Mr MSM at the IEC – that’s interesting, yet very plausible, news. As you say “karma will always get ya”. I never believed the R4k/month comment anyway.
Saturday, 21 February 2009 at 17:11
@ JB and Deems. Well I thought you will keep my name out of your FAT MOUTHS. To be honest with you SUCKERS, my real salary was R 250 p/h, which amounted to R 40 000 p/m or R 480 000 p/a. I only mentioned R 4 000 to soothe your painful hearts about R 3 Mill Cross Browser site.
About ““Mr” Malesela Mogale was dissed and dismissed over a week ago!” I can only say that I will not sign any petition against that. I will move on. Grow up. Be strong and get something better. Offers as high as R 500 000 p/a are being discussed now.
How can fools “diss and dismiss” and intellectual that solved a problem that was there since 1999? Like I said before I will not sign my petition against that foolish decision. I don’t have time to waste with mass ineptness!!
Kind Regards
Mr. Malesela Samuel Mogale
082.959.7389
www. PDCA.co.za
www. SouthAfrica2010.co.za
www. TelephoneDirectory.co.za
Sunday, 22 February 2009 at 11:21
Another comment I’m letting through so that everyone can see the real you. @Malesela, do you not realise just how badly you are making yourself look to the community out there and to your prospective employers? Well done on the math, without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to figure it out ourselves.
Sunday, 22 February 2009 at 21:07
Wow, some people’s immaturity knows no bounds! How old is this guy… 5?
Seems old Malesela is choosing to ignore one simple fact… we don’t have a number of blogs and a petition with scores of people talking about how ugly, unusable, poorly built and generally horrific sites we’ve designed are. The truth has gotta hurt.
@Deems, I’m glad you’re allowing all his childish comments on your blog – now not only is his poor quality work self-evident, but so is his unprofessional attitude. He’s making himself look like the complete tosser he clearly is.
Sunday, 22 February 2009 at 21:36
@JB – yeah, I know. This whole situation could have been turned around into a learning experience. People learning from their own and other’s mistakes but instead @Malesela insists on childish bullying and insult hurling. I know people that earn half of what he alleges he earns and have twice the amount of common sense. I’ve decided to leave this comment thread open and allowing his comments through in the hope that he will see the light and come to the realisation that he’s doing himself more harm than good. You know the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.
@Malesela – btw, it’s Deems and 133t.
Sunday, 22 February 2009 at 16:30
Deem or is it Deems! Bwaaahahahahah! You are the one that started by bastardizing my name on your so-called blog. If my prospective employer needs a hard working team player who is willing to deliver, then they will employ me. If they want a wannabe like you, I guess they will calll you or 3111T or it T1113? Whatever! Bwahahahahaha!
Monday, 23 February 2009 at 04:42
There is also an old saying that says, “Never argue with a fool. People wont see the difference.” So go with tt31 and do the IEC Internet. If you don’t succeed in that, then do yourself a favor. Go jump. One last thing, if you think important stakeholders read this bull you call a blog, you are so wrong. I am off for bigger fish to fry. Bye Deem. Please keep my name out of your fat mouth.
Monday, 23 February 2009 at 07:00
@Malesela – well I guess we’ll stop arguing with you then. Goodbye and good luck.
Monday, 23 February 2009 at 09:26
I didn’t want to make this assumption initially, even though I’m sure it was on everyone’s minds from the outset, but Mr Malema (sorry, Mogale, my bad… understandable mistake I’m sure you’ll grant) has just made it abundantly clear that he is more concerned with “stakeholders” (rather a broad term there, but I think I understand what he *really* means) than with actual quality of work. By this I mean, he is clearly one of those all too common elements in South African business that are “fly by night”, all talk and no substance. He clearly did not get the job on any technical expertise. Malesela, essentially you need to choose: focus on your technical skills and your esteem in the (very small) IT community in South Africa, and therefore build a lasting, satisfying career with long-term prospects, or hone your politicking, and spin-doctoring abilities amongst the middle-ranks of state institutions, where you’re sure to make a quick buck (or 500K quick bucks), but forever be ridiculed by those of us that KNOW, because you’ve never really cared about the work, just about the length of your CV.
PS: I think its about time people realised that when it comes to things like the IEC site and public foreign tourism sites (see 2010) etc etc, we are ALL stakeholders. And THAT is why Deems has created the petition: out of public interest in enforcing accountability. Good for you Deems.
Monday, 23 February 2009 at 12:17
@baldricman – very well articulated response, couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thursday, 26 February 2009 at 05:38
@ Deem and Followers http://www.evertbopp.com/images/arguing.jpg
Thursday, 26 February 2009 at 08:26
@malesela – sorry, we didn’t know you were “special” – it explains a lot though.
Friday, 17 July 2009 at 14:45
[…] previously a heated discussion started around last time of money being wasted when millions of tax payer’s money was spent to upgrade the Independant Electoral […]