By Nkhensani Chauke
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has welcomed the launch of government’s roadmap for the digital transformation, saying it will revolutionalise the way citizens interact with essential government services.
“It aims to deliver on the Government of National Unity’s commitment to inclusive growth, efficient service delivery and ensuring that government services are accessible to all South Africans,” the department said on Thursday.
A working group, co-chaired by the department and Treasury, would collaborate with government departments to drive the technical work that would deliver on the initiatives outlined in the roadmap.
They include the rollout of a digital identity system to verify identities remotely, the development of a data exchange framework to streamline government processes and the introduction of a Digital Payments System for secure transactions.
A zero-rated Digital Service Platform where citizens can access government services without incurring data costs will also be developed.
“For ordinary South Africans, this means that tasks like renewing a driver’s licence, applying for social grants, or accessing health records will become simpler, faster and less costly,” the department said.
It added that the roadmap went beyond modernising systems. It would give citizens back their time, reduce the costs associated with accessing services and ensure government services operated with the same efficiency as top private sector platforms.
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