An Overview of the Impact of E-government on Service Delivery within the South African Public Sector Environment

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23474139

California Mohale and Mocheudi Martinus Selepe (Department of Public Administration, University of Limpopo, South Africa)

The government’s implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve public administration and increase service accessibility has shifted from a concept to a tangible reality. The main objective of this study is to analyse how e-government initiatives reduce dependency on paper-based bureaucratic procedures in favour of electronic systems. This study further explores the impact of e-government on enhancing operational efficiency in service delivery within the public sector. The method used was a review, and the selection criteria relied on secondary data relevant to the study; recently published papers were selected. This change has been driven by the rise in automated government activities, such as electronic tax filing, e-voting, electronic reporting, and better access to government information resources. These advancements help eliminate the inefficiencies caused by manual processes, replacing traditional government operations with streamlined systems that bypass the usual bureaucratic barriers of physical offices. This development shows that South Africa is making progress in using electronic services to enable more efficient operations for both government agencies and citizens. This study examines the various e-services available in the South African public sector. Public sectors worldwide face significant challenges in service delivery, and current reforms have not yet fully succeeded. Since the public sector is a key part of any economy, addressing these challenges effectively is crucial to preventing economic instability. The study concludes by providing an exposition of the role of the state information technology agency in the procurement process of ICT infrastructure for the implementation of electronic service delivery.