The first day of the SANGONeT’s third annual ICT conference ended on a high note with three NGOs being awarded the 2007 NGO Web Awards.

Speaking at the event, SANGONeT Executive Director David Barnard, noted that the awards, which coincide with SANGONeT’s 20th anniversary celebrations, “Seek to recognise NGOs whose websites meet the criteria set by the judging panel of experts from the information and community technology (ICT) sector”.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Jody Kollapen congratulated SANGONeT for managing to survive under difficult conditions apartheid and also moving 13 years into democracy. “SANGONeT was established at time when civil society in South Africa was facing uncertainty,” asserts Kollapen.

He noted that NGOs like SANGONeT have a role to play in addressing challenges such as accountability, women issues and the overall role played by the South African Constitution in social development. As Kollapen further explains, “The Constitution allows for civil society participation in engaging government on policy issues, but that has declined in the last 30 years”.

The winners

Barnard introduced the three winning NGOs, who consisted of Afesis Corplan, Fair Trade and Tourism South Africa (FTTSA), and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

According to Barnard, “SANGONeT received a total of 46 entries from various NGOs across the country and only three NGOs were chosen from the top 10 ten entries”.

Judging criteria

• Objective of the website 
• Marketing
• Aesthetics 
• Relationship building
• Accessibility 
• Tone

The event was also graced by the special message from the Secretary-General of the CIVICUS: World Alliance for Participation, Kumi Naidoo. Read by the Chairperson of SANGONeT’s Board of Directors Tebogo Makgatho, Naidoo wished SANGONeT a happy 20th anniversary as it continues to present what he calls “a unique experience to the NGO sector”.

SANGONeT story: 1987–2007

Apart from the 20th anniversary celebrations, SANGONeT used the event to launch a book titled “The SANGONeT Story”.

In his closing remark, Barnard quoted from the SANGONeT book, "From two floppy disks smuggled into South Africa in the 1980s, to an NGO which continues to play a major role in responding the ICT requirements of the sector in SA, this is a unique story of SANGONeT”

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