As president Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA), technology analysts are calling for a clear commitment to building a fully-interoperable digital state, delivered against fixed timelines and measurable outcomes.
This, as citizens still queue, systems still operate in silos and economic friction persists.
Ramaphosa will deliver the SONA at Cape Town City Hall tonight, formally opening the parliamentary programme for the year.
The event is an opportunity for the president to account to the nation on progress made, outline priorities for the year ahead, and present government’s programme of action, which will serve as a benchmark through which Parliament measures executive performance.
Moving the needle forward
As the key address delivery draws near, the feeling is that ambitious rhetoric needs to be matched by meaningful outputs.
Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says there must be commitment to putting every core public service online, end-to-end.
“Digital government is economic reform,” says Goldstuck. “It reduces friction and cost for business, improves efficiency, strengthens accountability, improves compliance and lowers barriers for small business. But the priority must be implementation, not another strategy.”
Professor Mpho Primus, co-director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligent Systems at the University of Johannesburg, says an interoperable digital state is one that places citizens at the centre of public services.
This, according to Primus, entails sharing data infrastructure, secure digital identity, integrated service platforms, as well as consistent standards across departments.
“Progress should be measured by real improvements in service delivery, turnaround times and administrative efficiency. This is not only a technology commitment. It is a commitment to better governance.”
For Mark Walker, director at T4i, a key SONA commitment would be the removal of regulatory and tax barriers to accelerate connectivity and infrastructure rollout that underpins economic growth.
“Current policy effectively limits global players, local innovators and entrepreneurs from investing and rolling out solutions to enable access to technology and data. Secondly, focus on actioning the AI [artificial intelligence] framework, especially the ethics and anti-corruption aspects in the finance, healthcare and security sectors.”
Ramaphosa has not been one to shy away from technology-driven grandiose plans and pronouncements, even if they ended up being labelled as “pipe dreams” and attempts to garner votes.
To his credit, there have been pockets of digital transformation success during his term.
Primus highlights that over the past eight years, there has been meaningful progress in digitisation, alongside important foundations for deeper transformation.
“Government has expanded online services, improved connectivity, advanced digital identity initiatives and strengthened regulatory frameworks in key areas. These are not insignificant achievements.
“At the same time, much of this progress remains fragmented. Many systems still operate in isolation. Data is not yet fully integrated. Digital platforms do not always translate into faster, more seamless services for citizens. Too often, we have simply moved inefficiency online. We have digitised queues. We have automated silos. We have put PDFs on websites.
“So, while we have moved forward, the next phase must focus on integration, interoperability and institutional redesign. The opportunity now is to move from digitisation to true digital transformation.”
For Goldstuck, what comes to mind about the past eight years is the release of high-demand spectrum, which he describes as “the most consequential move”, since it unlocked investment and accelerated broadband rollout.
“There have also been improvements in areas like home affairs modernisation, although the public still finds it hard to believe when they wait for hours in queues. That is also a clue that digital reform has remained fragmented. We’ve seen pockets of progress rather than a coordinated shift in how the state delivers services.”
Walker lists Project Khokha, the South African Revenue Service’s modernisation, and the banks’ partnership with home affairs for smart IDs and passports access as among the notable government-initiated projects that have focused on improving and expanding digital public infrastructure.
AI roadmap
With generative AI reshaping society as we know it, the commentators agree that a credible AI position for the country must focus on capability first.
Goldstuck explains there needs to be investment in and incentivising of computing access for universities. Incentivise applied AI − in other words, practical deployment − in sectors where South Africa already has expertise, he states.
“Set clear governance principles around data protection, transparency and accountability. Avoid grand positioning that is about image and not delivery.”
While SA has always been lauded for being at the forefront of technological development and adoption within the Global South community, the country doesn’t yet have a national AI roadmap in place.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi previously revealed there hasn’t been an intentional hold up in developing a national AI policy, rather SA’s compliance and consultation approach to policy development is multi-layered.
According to Primus, a credible AI strategy must reflect SA’s developmental context and social priorities.
She notes that it should rest on four pillars: public value, responsible data governance, local capability and ubuntu-centred ethics.
“We must invest in our technology models, local research and domestic enterprises. This ensures long-term resilience and reduces dependence on external systems.
“Our AI governance must reflect constitutional values, human dignity and social justice. An ubuntu-informed approach can help ensure innovation serves the collective good. A credible position is one that balances innovation, protection and inclusion.”
On government’s role in building high-tier ICT skills, Primus says government’s primary role is to enable and coordinate the national skills ecosystem.
Goldstuck calls for strengthened digital literacy in schools, expanding technical training pathways, and partnering closely with industry to align curricula with real demand. “The goal must not only be more graduates, but also employable graduates,” he concludes.
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