Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

The Deeds Office has recently issued a tender to the
private sector (though not on a public-private partnership
basis), for services that will digitize all of its
existing deeds into an electronic document management
system and introduce a process for digitizing
all future deeds. Once this exercise is complete, the
Deeds Office will have the necessary base to offer
services to its customers online.
The South African government also seems highly
amenable to promoting eGovernment services
for use by intermediaries, such as the post office
network, the banking sector, community-based
organizations and other private-sector organizations.
In fact, the government’s stated intentions are to
pursue such partnerships in all practicable situations.
As the government works to build a more mature
eGovernment program, it is concurrently working
on promoting take-up through a number of means.
Individual agencies are promoting their services with
incentives. For example, the government’s revenue
agency changed its business model for online filing
to a free service and is also attracting users by
extending the payment deadline and processing
returns more quickly. The service saw an almost 10-
fold growth in just five months, due primarily to these
new incentives.
Currently, eGovernment service adoption is hampered
by the fact that very few South Africans have
access to a computer. Internet penetration is currently
less than 9 percent. The government is trying
to bridge the digital divide through various initiatives,
sometimes in conjunction with the private sector.
For example, the Centre for Public Service Innovation
is leading a project where the government portal is
used by officials who act as intermediaries. Through
“Multipurpose Community Centres,” multiple government
services are delivered in one location—in
essence, providing one-stop service. Multipurpose
Community Centres are defined as centers that have
at least six government departments offering services
to people who live nearby. They also typically
have an information technology center for access
to additional services such as those offered by nongovernmental
organizations and the business sector.
Multipurpose Community Centres are viewed as the
primary vehicle for implementing development communication
and information programs, as they can
serve as a base from which a wide range of services
and products can reach communities.
South Africa has also implemented the PiT project,
which delivers access to services such as e-mail,
e-business directory, government services and information,
educational services and Internet browsing
capabilities via kiosks, and which is seen as complementary
to the Multipurpose Community Centres
initiative.
The City of Cape Town embarked on a Smart City
strategy with the aim of empowering every citizen
with technology-driven services. To enable this
strategy, the city initiated a number of programs, of
which the enterprise resource planning implementation
program was one of the most significant. The
City of Cape Town now seems well positioned for
further initiatives to make the strategy a reality.
In a move that may stimulate business use of
eGovernment, the Independent Electoral Commission
has implemented an Internet-based eProcurement
solution, with which the commission is streamlining
its procurement process and making the process fair
and transparent. The system has both an Internet
component (used by suppliers to register and bid
on auctions) and an intranet component (used by
the commission to maintain item specifications,
manage auctions and approve suppliers). It has also
been fully integrated with the Independent Electoral
Commission’s existing enterprise resource planning
and workflow management systems.
With the significant usage of mobile technology in
South Africa, many of the cellular service providers
are working on services that can be provided via
short messaging service and wireless access protocol.
For example, the Independent Electoral Commission
provides a service where voters can obtain voter
registration information using a mobile phone.
While South Africa showed little progress in 2003, it
seems poised for marked improvement in 2004. The
most critical aspect will be to get the eGovernment
Gateway operational, as a starting point for delivering
on its vision of citizen-centered service delivery.
The government’s forays into wireless service are
admirable and should be continued while additional
alternatives are sought for at-home, fixed Internet
eGovernment.
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