The Usability of e-Government as a Mechanism to Enhance Public Service Delivery in the South African Government Lessons from Practices
Main Article Content
Keywords
electronic government, service delivery, governance, information and communication technology
Abstract
In the digital age, the electronic government has emerged as a transformative mechanism for ameliorating service delivery, promoting transparency, and promoting citizen participation. South Africa is rich in diversity and evolving in its socio-economic landscape, and it encounters unique difficulties in providing services to the society. The difficulties in service delivery are an important difficulty for the Government of South Africa because this problem spreads from local to national governments. Consequently, these often lead to countless issues, including protests concerning service delivery that usually result in property losses. Therefore, the introduction of e-government serves as a tool to foster efficient and effective service delivery. The purpose of this paper was to identify current barriers, successes, and areas for amelioration in the execution of digital government in South Africa. Therefore, the main focus was on the use of electronic government as a tool to ameliorate service delivery in South Africa. This paper identified the several current difficulties and successes of digital government practices across South Africa to seek preventive and corrective measures to ensure that the usage of e-government can be efficient and effective in delivering public services. The researcher employed a qualitative methodology and relied heavily on secondary data to generate a rich grasp and knowledge of the lessons learned from e-government practices in South Africa. The outcomes of this paper indicated that South Africa has made significant progress in implementing digital government initiatives. Although successful digital government initiatives are being implemented in South Africa, problems such as digital divisions, ICT personnel shortages, limited digital literacy, resistance to technological innovation and infrastructure limitations continue to exist. If these barriers and difficulties are not addressed adequately, the future of the South African digital government is at risk, and the implementation of electronic government initiatives to foster effective service delivery will be a mere dream.
Article Metrics Graph
References
Adams, S. O., & Paul, C. (2023). E-government development indices and the attainment of United Nations sustainable development goals in Africa: A cross-sectional data analysis. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/13576
Afzal, A., Khan, S., Daud, S., Ahmad, Z., & Butt, A. (2023). Addressing the Digital Divide: Access and Use of Technology in Education. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(2), 883-895. https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i2.326
Apleni, A. and Smuts, H. (2020). An e-government implementation framework: A developing country case study. In Responsible Design, Implementation and Use of Information and Communication Technology: 19th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services, and e-Society, I3E 2020, Skukuza, South Africa, April 6–8, 2020, Proceedings, Part II 19 (pp. 15-27). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45002-1_2
Aruleba, K., & Jere, N. (2022). Exploring digital transforming challenges in rural areas of South Africa through a systematic review of empirical studies. Scientific African, 16, e01190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01190
Campbell, J. (2014). South Africa: What does ‘service delivery’ really mean?, Council on Foreign Relations. Available at: https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-africa-what-does-service-delivery-really-mean (Accessed: 21 October 2023).
Fan, B. and Pan, T. (2023). Does information technology–organizational resource interaction affect E-government performance? Moderating roles of environmental uncertainty. Government Information Quarterly, p.101830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101830
Galushi, L. T., & Malatji, T. L. (2022). Digital Public Administration and Inclusive Governance at the South African Local Government, in Depth Analysis of E-Government and Service Delivery in Musina Local Municipality. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 116-126. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2022-0154
Gasova, K., & Stofkova, K. (2017). E-government as a quality improvement tool for citizens’ services. Procedia engineering, 192, 225-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.039
Gillwald, A. (2022). Digital Equality: South Africa still has a long way to go, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/digital-equality-south-africa-still-has-a-long-way-to-go-131864 (Accessed: 29 November 2023).
Hinson, R. E., Madichie, N., Adeola, O., Nyigmah Bawole, J., Adisa, I., & Asamoah, K. (2022). New public management in Africa: An introduction. New Public Management in Africa: Contemporary Issues, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77181-2_1
Jakoet-Salie, A. (2020). E-government Strategies in South Africa. Administratio Publica, 28(3), 1-22.
Kariuki, P., Ofusori, L., & Goyayi, M. (2019). E-Government and Citizen Experiences in South Africa: Ethekwini Metropolitan Case Study. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (pp. 478-480). https://doi.org/10.1145/3326365.3326432
Lee-Geiller, S., & Lee, T. D. (2019). Using government websites to enhance democratic E-governance: A conceptual model for evaluation. Government Information Quarterly, 36(2), 208-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.01.003
Madyibi, A. (2020). A framework for the implementation of e-government as a service delivery mechanism in South Africa: The case of the Eastern Cape Thusong Service Centres.
Malomane, A. P. (2021). The role of e-governance as an alternative service delivery mechanism in local government. University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
Maluleka, S. M., Budree, A., & Van Belle, J. P. (2023, April). A Systematic Literature Review on South African Government to Harness Software as a Service for Enhanced E-Government. In 2023 Ninth International Conference on eDemocracy & eGovernment (ICEDEG) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEDEG58167.2023.10121964
Masavah, V. M., van der Merwe, R., & van Biljon, J. (2023). The role of open government data and information and communication technology in meeting the employment-related information needs of unemployed South African youth. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, e12292. https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12292
Masinde, M., & Mkhonto, M. (2019). The critical success factors for e-Government implementation in South Africa’s local government: Factoring in apartheid digital divide. In 2019 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies (ICICT) (pp. 220-228). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/INFOCT.2019.8710930
Mello, D. M., & Shai, K. B. (2019). Assessing current state challenges in anticipation of the future. Journal of Public Administration, 54(2), 155-159.
Mohale, C. (2024). The Role of E-Government in the Promotion of Municipal Service Delivery in South Africa. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 7(3), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i3.1992
Mohlala, L. T. (2023). The factors hindering the successful implementation of e-Government within the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Metropolitan Municipality (Doctoral dissertation, University of Johannesburg).
Molobela, T. T. (2023). E-Government and Public Administration: Navigating through the Public Administration Paradigm of Governance to make sense of e-Governance. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 6(8), 340-351.
Motubatse, K. N., Ngwakwe, C. C., & Sebola, M. P. (2017). The effect of governance on clean audits in South African municipalities. African Journal of Public Affairs, 9(5), 90-102.
Moyo, S. L. (2019). Examining leadership and mandates as critical success factors of e-Government in South Africa. Journal of Public Administration, 54(2), 184-206.
Murenzi, P., & Olivier, C. D. (2017). E-government challenges faced by selected district municipalities in South Africa and Rwanda. Administratio Publica, 25(1), 141-172.
Mzekandaba, S. (2023). Mps blast delays in Biometric Identification project. Johannesburg: IT Web Business Technology Media Community.
Naidoo, G. (2012). Implementation of E-government in South Africa-successes and challenges: the way forward. International Journal of Advances in Computing and Management, 1(1), 62-66.
Nokele, K. S., & Mukonza, R. M. (2021). The Adoption of E-Government in the Department of Home Affairs–Unpacking the Underlying Factors Affecting Adoption of E-Government within the Selected Service Centres in Limpopo Province, South Africa. African Journal of Governance and Development, 10(1), 98-117.
Reddy, P. S., & Govender, N. (2019). Effectiveness of governance towards digitalisation at eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review, 7(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v7i1.336
Roblek, V., Bach, M. P., Meško, M., & Bertoncel, T. (2020). Best practices of the social innovations in the framework of the e-government evolution. Amfiteatru economic, 22(53), 275-302. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2020/53/275
Shambare, R. (2020). Consumer Adoption of E-Government in South Africa: Barriers, Solutions, and Implications. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9860-2.ch096
Sutherland, E. (2021). The governance of data protection in South Africa. Available at SSRN 3922218. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3922218
Tejedo-Romero, F., Araujo, J. F. F. E., Tejada, Á., & Ramírez, Y. (2022). E-government mechanisms to enhance the participation of citizens and society: Exploratory analysis through the dimension of municipalities. Technology in Society, 70, 101978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101978
Terrance, M. T. (2023). E-government and E-participation on Improving E-service Delivery in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, South Africa. Journal of African Films & Diaspora Studies, 6(2), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.31920/2516-2713/2023/6n2a6
Thusi, X. and Selepe, M.M. (2023). The impact of poor governance on public service delivery: A case study of the South African local government. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 6(4), 688-697.
Thusi, X., & Chauke, R. (2023). Strategies for retaining scarce skills and reducing turnover in the South African Public Sector. International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities, 6(1), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v6i1.1242
Thusi, X., Mahlatse, R., & Matyana, M. (2023). Innovation as a Tool to Improve Public Service Delivery: South African Government Perspective. INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL ON LAW, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES, 4(2), 175-189. https://doi.org/10.19184/idj.v4i2.39165
Uwizeyimana, D. E. (2015). Mobile phones as means for extending e-government in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Public Affairs, 8(4), 151-169.
Xia, L., Semirumi, D. T., & Rezaei, R. (2023). A thorough examination of smart city applications: Exploring challenges and solutions throughout the life cycle with emphasis on safeguarding citizen privacy. Sustainable Cities and Society, 98, 104771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104771
Yang, L., Elisa, N., & Eliot, N. (2019). Privacy and security aspects of E-government in smart cities. In Smart cities cybersecurity and privacy (pp. 89-102). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815032-0.00007-X
Zaitul, Z., Ilona, D. and Novianti, N. (2023). Good Governance in Rural Local Administration. Administrative Sciences, 13(1), p.19. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13010019
Zakrzewska, M., & Miciuła, I. (2021). Using e-government services and ensuring the protection of sensitive data in EU member countries. Procedia Computer Science, 192, 3457-3466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.09.119
Afzal, A., Khan, S., Daud, S., Ahmad, Z., & Butt, A. (2023). Addressing the Digital Divide: Access and Use of Technology in Education. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(2), 883-895. https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i2.326
Apleni, A. and Smuts, H. (2020). An e-government implementation framework: A developing country case study. In Responsible Design, Implementation and Use of Information and Communication Technology: 19th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services, and e-Society, I3E 2020, Skukuza, South Africa, April 6–8, 2020, Proceedings, Part II 19 (pp. 15-27). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45002-1_2
Aruleba, K., & Jere, N. (2022). Exploring digital transforming challenges in rural areas of South Africa through a systematic review of empirical studies. Scientific African, 16, e01190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01190
Campbell, J. (2014). South Africa: What does ‘service delivery’ really mean?, Council on Foreign Relations. Available at: https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-africa-what-does-service-delivery-really-mean (Accessed: 21 October 2023).
Fan, B. and Pan, T. (2023). Does information technology–organizational resource interaction affect E-government performance? Moderating roles of environmental uncertainty. Government Information Quarterly, p.101830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101830
Galushi, L. T., & Malatji, T. L. (2022). Digital Public Administration and Inclusive Governance at the South African Local Government, in Depth Analysis of E-Government and Service Delivery in Musina Local Municipality. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 116-126. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2022-0154
Gasova, K., & Stofkova, K. (2017). E-government as a quality improvement tool for citizens’ services. Procedia engineering, 192, 225-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.039
Gillwald, A. (2022). Digital Equality: South Africa still has a long way to go, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/digital-equality-south-africa-still-has-a-long-way-to-go-131864 (Accessed: 29 November 2023).
Hinson, R. E., Madichie, N., Adeola, O., Nyigmah Bawole, J., Adisa, I., & Asamoah, K. (2022). New public management in Africa: An introduction. New Public Management in Africa: Contemporary Issues, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77181-2_1
Jakoet-Salie, A. (2020). E-government Strategies in South Africa. Administratio Publica, 28(3), 1-22.
Kariuki, P., Ofusori, L., & Goyayi, M. (2019). E-Government and Citizen Experiences in South Africa: Ethekwini Metropolitan Case Study. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (pp. 478-480). https://doi.org/10.1145/3326365.3326432
Lee-Geiller, S., & Lee, T. D. (2019). Using government websites to enhance democratic E-governance: A conceptual model for evaluation. Government Information Quarterly, 36(2), 208-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.01.003
Madyibi, A. (2020). A framework for the implementation of e-government as a service delivery mechanism in South Africa: The case of the Eastern Cape Thusong Service Centres.
Malomane, A. P. (2021). The role of e-governance as an alternative service delivery mechanism in local government. University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
Maluleka, S. M., Budree, A., & Van Belle, J. P. (2023, April). A Systematic Literature Review on South African Government to Harness Software as a Service for Enhanced E-Government. In 2023 Ninth International Conference on eDemocracy & eGovernment (ICEDEG) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEDEG58167.2023.10121964
Masavah, V. M., van der Merwe, R., & van Biljon, J. (2023). The role of open government data and information and communication technology in meeting the employment-related information needs of unemployed South African youth. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, e12292. https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12292
Masinde, M., & Mkhonto, M. (2019). The critical success factors for e-Government implementation in South Africa’s local government: Factoring in apartheid digital divide. In 2019 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies (ICICT) (pp. 220-228). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/INFOCT.2019.8710930
Mello, D. M., & Shai, K. B. (2019). Assessing current state challenges in anticipation of the future. Journal of Public Administration, 54(2), 155-159.
Mohale, C. (2024). The Role of E-Government in the Promotion of Municipal Service Delivery in South Africa. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 7(3), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i3.1992
Mohlala, L. T. (2023). The factors hindering the successful implementation of e-Government within the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Metropolitan Municipality (Doctoral dissertation, University of Johannesburg).
Molobela, T. T. (2023). E-Government and Public Administration: Navigating through the Public Administration Paradigm of Governance to make sense of e-Governance. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 6(8), 340-351.
Motubatse, K. N., Ngwakwe, C. C., & Sebola, M. P. (2017). The effect of governance on clean audits in South African municipalities. African Journal of Public Affairs, 9(5), 90-102.
Moyo, S. L. (2019). Examining leadership and mandates as critical success factors of e-Government in South Africa. Journal of Public Administration, 54(2), 184-206.
Murenzi, P., & Olivier, C. D. (2017). E-government challenges faced by selected district municipalities in South Africa and Rwanda. Administratio Publica, 25(1), 141-172.
Mzekandaba, S. (2023). Mps blast delays in Biometric Identification project. Johannesburg: IT Web Business Technology Media Community.
Naidoo, G. (2012). Implementation of E-government in South Africa-successes and challenges: the way forward. International Journal of Advances in Computing and Management, 1(1), 62-66.
Nokele, K. S., & Mukonza, R. M. (2021). The Adoption of E-Government in the Department of Home Affairs–Unpacking the Underlying Factors Affecting Adoption of E-Government within the Selected Service Centres in Limpopo Province, South Africa. African Journal of Governance and Development, 10(1), 98-117.
Reddy, P. S., & Govender, N. (2019). Effectiveness of governance towards digitalisation at eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review, 7(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v7i1.336
Roblek, V., Bach, M. P., Meško, M., & Bertoncel, T. (2020). Best practices of the social innovations in the framework of the e-government evolution. Amfiteatru economic, 22(53), 275-302. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2020/53/275
Shambare, R. (2020). Consumer Adoption of E-Government in South Africa: Barriers, Solutions, and Implications. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9860-2.ch096
Sutherland, E. (2021). The governance of data protection in South Africa. Available at SSRN 3922218. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3922218
Tejedo-Romero, F., Araujo, J. F. F. E., Tejada, Á., & Ramírez, Y. (2022). E-government mechanisms to enhance the participation of citizens and society: Exploratory analysis through the dimension of municipalities. Technology in Society, 70, 101978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101978
Terrance, M. T. (2023). E-government and E-participation on Improving E-service Delivery in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, South Africa. Journal of African Films & Diaspora Studies, 6(2), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.31920/2516-2713/2023/6n2a6
Thusi, X. and Selepe, M.M. (2023). The impact of poor governance on public service delivery: A case study of the South African local government. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 6(4), 688-697.
Thusi, X., & Chauke, R. (2023). Strategies for retaining scarce skills and reducing turnover in the South African Public Sector. International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities, 6(1), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v6i1.1242
Thusi, X., Mahlatse, R., & Matyana, M. (2023). Innovation as a Tool to Improve Public Service Delivery: South African Government Perspective. INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL ON LAW, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES, 4(2), 175-189. https://doi.org/10.19184/idj.v4i2.39165
Uwizeyimana, D. E. (2015). Mobile phones as means for extending e-government in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Public Affairs, 8(4), 151-169.
Xia, L., Semirumi, D. T., & Rezaei, R. (2023). A thorough examination of smart city applications: Exploring challenges and solutions throughout the life cycle with emphasis on safeguarding citizen privacy. Sustainable Cities and Society, 98, 104771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104771
Yang, L., Elisa, N., & Eliot, N. (2019). Privacy and security aspects of E-government in smart cities. In Smart cities cybersecurity and privacy (pp. 89-102). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815032-0.00007-X
Zaitul, Z., Ilona, D. and Novianti, N. (2023). Good Governance in Rural Local Administration. Administrative Sciences, 13(1), p.19. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13010019
Zakrzewska, M., & Miciuła, I. (2021). Using e-government services and ensuring the protection of sensitive data in EU member countries. Procedia Computer Science, 192, 3457-3466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.09.119
Article Sidebar
Published
Aug 5, 2024
Article Details
How to Cite
The Usability of e-Government as a Mechanism to Enhance Public Service Delivery in the South African Government: Lessons from Practices. (2024). Digital Policy Studies, 3(1), 116-132. https://doi.org/10.36615/w2sjk817
Issue
Section
Research Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Licensing information
Creative Commons CC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License
© Author(s)
How to Cite
The Usability of e-Government as a Mechanism to Enhance Public Service Delivery in the South African Government: Lessons from Practices. (2024). Digital Policy Studies, 3(1), 116-132. https://doi.org/10.36615/w2sjk817