Twenty years ago world leaders promised an information superhighway with high-speed data exchange powering commerce. But highways, like other infrastructure, need to be constructed, maintained and upgraded. Digital public infrastructure is no different.
Digital public infrastructure is more than fibre or even government software systems. It encompasses data exchanges, open protocols, security and co-operative structures between many disparate actors. SA has taken steps in building its digital public infrastructure, demonstrating a commitment to modernising the economy and driving growth to tackle persistent poverty.
Even so, major upgrades are due. These involve digital identity, truly public digital payment systems, and secure, equitable transaction mechanisms. These must be available to the majority of South Africans. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), digital public infrastructure requires population-sized technologies.
If SA is to benefit from the single African digital market to be established by the African Continental Free Trade Area, then digital public infrastructure requires urgent attention.
SA’s commitment to digital transformation is evident in several key areas. The government’s e-services portal has streamlined access to public services, reducing bureaucratic hurdles for citizens and businesses alike. The SA Revenue Service’s eFiling system is another good example of improved public services. But despite these milestones, interactions are mostly digital imitations of 19th-century paper-based bureaucracy. The state has yet to become a database state.
SA has distance to cover on its digital public infrastructure journey. Mirroring other inequalities in the country, the digital divide means many people still lack reliable, inexpensive, high- speed internet connectivity. This hinders the acquisition of skills necessary for the contemporary workplace. This gap threatens to worsen existing inequalities, creating new forms of social and economic stratification based on digital literacy and access.
The SA Connect programme has made notable progress in expanding connectivity to rural and underserved areas. This initiative has improved access to information services. The financial sector has also benefited from digital public infrastructure investments. The adoption of mobile banking and digital payment systems has brought millions of previously unbanked South Africans into the formal financial system. However, SA Reserve Bank policy has precluded the kinds of digital payment innovation that has happened elsewhere in Africa, such as M-Pesa in Kenya.
Furthermore, the implementation of digital public infrastructure projects has been marred by inefficiencies and allegations of corruption. The controversial Gauteng e-toll system is a cautionary tale of how poor planning and contracting can derail projects. Such missteps not only waste valuable resources but also erode public trust in digital governance efforts.
Cybersecurity presents another critical challenge. As public services go online, the risk of data breaches and cyber incidents increases exponentially. Recent incidents highlight the vulnerabilities in SA’s digital infrastructure. The government’s response to these threats has been largely reactive. If cybersecurity is to be governed as infrastructure, it needs a high-level government champion not beholden to the security cluster mindset. Trust, not secrecy, is the way forward.
While the global technology discourse is now dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), this focus often overshadows the critical importance of robust digital public infrastructure. Regardless of whether one deems AI’s potential to solve complex problems to be illusionary, without a digital public infrastructure foundation almost all of the benefits of AI will be out of reach. Whether AI lives up to the promises of its investors and developers, ordinary South Africans will still need to identify themselves, interact, transact and pay online.
True digital transformation requires not just advanced systems but also the basic digital public infrastructure that ensures all people can benefit from new products. By prioritising digital public infrastructure SA can create a more equitable digital landscape that serves as a springboard for development. Digital public infrastructure transcends government regulation or procurement strategies; it necessitates a collaborative governance model where the government plays a role, while creating space for technology players and citizens to share control over the infrastructure at the most practical level.
The stakes are high. The success or failure of these efforts will play a crucial role in determining SA’s economic competitiveness and social cohesion in the decades to come. As the country stands at this crossroads, strategic vision is needed to ensure that the promise of digital public infrastructure becomes a reality for all South Africans, not just a privileged few.
• Timcke is a senior research associate at Research ICT Africa and a research associate at the University of Johannesburg Centre for Social Change. Rens is a senior research fellow at Research ICT Africa.
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