Visit the WCG eCentre in Ladismith

Ladismith is an agricultural town in the Little Karoo, located in the fertile, irrigated valleys at the southern base of the Swartberg mountains.

Ladismith, named after Lady Juana María Smith, the wife of Sir Harry Smith, was established in 1851 on a portion of the farm Elandsvlei. Most people in Ladismith work at various dairy factories, like the Ladismith Cheese Factory, and on the many farms surrounding the town. Despite being an agricultural epicentre, the residents of Ladismith face many challenges, such as:

• Access to housing.
• Finding work opportunities.
• And extra-curricular activities for youth.

In 2010, the Western Cape Government opened the Ladismith WCG eCentre to help the community overcome some of the challenges.

The WCG eCentre programme is a government initiative that makes information and communication technology (ICT) freely available and accessible to communities in the province. The programme focuses on rural areas where internet and computer access is most needed.

WCG eCentres provide a range of services, including:

• Access to the internet
• Access to email
• Printing of up to 10 pages per person per day
• Access to government information and services

The Ladismith WCG eCentre is in the centre of town (32 Van Riebeeck Street, Ladismith) and has 13 workstations available for the community.

In addition to the services mentioned above, the eCentre also provides citizens with the following:

• Google Meet or MS Teams (Video conference meetings) for users who need to attend these online meetings.
• Assistance with Ufilling – UIF
• Assistance with school learner registrations at WCED.
• Assistance with all Western Cape Government related registrations.
• Online job searches and applications, for example, SA Youth.mobi, WCG jobs portal etc.
• Online university applications.
• Online registration of IEC members.
• SASSA Social Relief Distress fund enquiries.
• SARS e- filling registrations.

According to the eCentre manager, the Ladismith WCG eCentre provides 800 sessions or more monthly. This includes elderly people, youth and parents from different races and backgrounds. People living on nearby farms and towns like Zoar, Van Wyksdorp and Calitzdorp also visit our centre for basic information and  training.”

Furthermore, he says, “Our eCentre plays a crucial role in the Kannaland district as we are a one-stop service centre that provides government information and services to communities based on their needs, free of charge.”

He also says the eCentre’s visitors always feel welcomed when coming to the eCentre, and staff always try to assist visitors and build relations with the community.

He says people who used the facility have gone on to achieve better things,  “Our previous PAY interns who worked at the e-Centre are studying at the University of the Western Cape. And people who did the computer training said that they are comfortable and skilled to work in the office environment with ease.”

Services available at the WCG eCentre in Ladismith

• Free Internet Access
• Email Access and assistance to create emails
• Online Job searches and applications
• Online University Applications
• Free Printing of maximum 10 pages per day
• Basic Informal Computer Course Training
• E-learner Online Computer Course Training
• International Computer Digital Literacy (ICDL) Computer Course Training

Contact Us

Email:

ladismith.ecentre@gmail.com

Address:

Ladismith WCG eCentre, Thusong Centre
34 Van Riebeeck Street
Ladismith
6655

Operating Hours:

Monday - Friday 08:00 - 16:00