The impact of the digital divide on the democracy and government of South Africa

 

 

“Digital divide describes the fact that the world can be divided into people who do and people who do not have access to – and the capability to use- modern information technology, such as the telephone, television and the internet. The digital divide exists between those in cities and those in rural areas, the educated and the uneducated and economic classes” (http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com).

 

 There are several contributing factors to the digital divide in South Africa, which include; gender, physical disability, physical access, lack of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills and support, racial segregation, and the apartheid legacy that promoted separate development, which provided inferior education and language barriers (www.commit.com).

People used to write letters to newspapers hoping they would be published so they can get their messages across to government. Now they can also blog. Contacting an elected representative has become as simple as sending an email (www.economist.com).

This is what makes e-democracy and e-governance so relevant. E-democracy can be defined as the use of technology to deliver greater participation. E—governance involves providing government services on an electronic platform, reaching people via internet, cell phones at anytime. This enhances citizen participation in political matters (www.tgis.co.za).

National parties campaign on the internet and on social media. Technology has become a big advantage, intensifying the democratic process.

According to (www.sabc.co.za), The African National Congress (ANC) wants to bridge the digital divide in South Africa. They have been going on an intensive social media campaign in a bid to capture young people.

As technology advances daily, many people are left behind. The navigation of the cyber world can be daunting for those who cannot read in any other language but their own. However, (www.translate.org.za) has been set up to translate computer software’s into various languages of South Africa. (google.co.za) is also offered in Afrikaans, Sesotho, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Setswana and Northern Sotho.

Although the gap in the network society in remote areas is closing in, the government of South Africa should first make sure that the citizens of this country are literate before going all out on online information and campaigns. The most important voters are in remote areas, that is where the focus should be first.

 

 

Sources Consulted

 

Democracy and Governance. 2013. Digital divide or digital exclusion? [online]. <Available>http://www.commit.com/?q=democracy-governance/node/221092 [accessed 20 April 2013]

Linux Journal. 2013. Bridging the digital divide in South Africa [online]. <Available>http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5966 [accessed 20 April 2013]

 

SABC NEWS. 2012. ANC wants to bridge digital divide in SA [online]. <Available>http://www.sabc.co.za/news/f1/190798004bcaa2ce9dbefd251f96d6cc/ANC-wants-to-bridge-digital-divide [accessed 20 April 2013]

 

searchCIO – Midmarket. 2013. What is a digital divide? [online]. <Available>http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide [accessed 20 April 2013]

 

TGIS. 2013. E-Governance [online]. <Available>http://www.tgis.co.za/getting_started/E-governance [accessed 21 April 2013]

 

The Economist. 2013. The road to e-democracy [online]. <Available>http://www.economist.com/node/10638222 [accessed 20 April 2013]

World e-Parliament Conference 2010. 2010. Mind the gap: the impact of the digital divide on parliament and democracy [online]. <Available>http://www.ictparliament.org/es/node/1497 [accessed 20 April 2013]

 

The Network Society

 “Mobile and wireless technology will spread the network society to the most remote places and the deepest pores of the world” (van Dijk 2006: 59)

 

 

Based on my findings, I highly agree with van Dijk’s statement. The network society is well underway and is already reaching many places, connecting people even in the most remote areas.

A network society is according to (http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu), “a society where the key social structures and activities are organised around electronically processed information networks. (https://globalsociology.pbworks.com) states that the network society consists of networks which construct a culture of virtuality in the global flows that transcend time and space. Through electronic communication networks, human experience becomes detached from time and place. Individuals can communicate instantly across the globe.

Over the years, the use of mobile devices has grown tremendously. Connectivity makes it easier for people in remote areas to get access to information.

“Information and communication technology (ICT) contributes to the development of countries, and more specifically in rural Areas, reaching population with low levels of income and literacy” (http://live.wordbank.org).

 

In the near future, mobile and wireless technology will be used throughout the most remote of places through Energy Harvesting Drives. They provide power in many elements of the telecom network, saving costs in electricity supply. “Powering mobile phone based stations with wind or solar power allows telecom networks to expand beyond the limits of the power grid. Energy harvesting is also being used to charge the phone handsets, using power and even kinetic energy from a bicycle” (www.digikey.com).

Through my findings, I’ve come up with the conclusion that through the use of Energy Harvesting techniques, spreading the network society to the most remote places has already been proven possible.

 

 

Sources Consulted

Digi-Key Corporation. 2013. Energy Harvesting drives mobile technology in remote areas [online]. <Available>http://www.digikey.com/us/es/techzone/energy-harveting/resources/articles/energy-harvesting [accessed: 16 April 2013]

Global Sociology. 2013. Network Society or Surveillance Society [online]. <Available>https://globalsociology.pbworks.com/w/page/14711234/Network%20Society%or%20Surveillance% [accessed: 16 April 2013]

Globe Trotter. 2013. The network society and organisational change [online]. <Available>http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Castells/castells-con4.html [accessed: 16 April 2013]

World Bank Live. 2013. Information communication technology for development [online]. <Available>http://live.worldbank.org/information-communication-technology-devolpment [accessed: 16 April 2013]

More than just words

Lethabo Ndebele spent most of his life around the deaf. For some it’s a choice, for him it has been his life.

Lethabo, 27, is a sign language interpreter for Tshwane Deaf Association (TDA). Both his parents are deaf, “My mom is a darling. She is a loving and caring person. A typical mom. Unlike my dad, she can speak a little,” Lethabo says.

Lethabo recalls the day he got a beating of his life from his mother, “I was about eight years old,” he says. “Straight from school, my friends and I went fishing of which we were lucky to catch fish. Excited, we flocked to my house to go show my mom who congratulated us. As soon as my friends disappeared, an umbrella was on my bum for having gone fishing in my school uniform,” he adds with laughter.

His father was a carpenter at a furniture store for 30years. “I grew up being terrified of my father. I would ask him for things through my mother,” he says.

His childhood wasn’t easy for him as he grew up different from his peers who were not deaf. Often Lethabo was teased, “I remember being told that I would also become deaf and that my kids will be deaf,” he shares.

Inspired mainly by his sister Mpho, Lethabo says that even though she has been through a lot with him, she is his pillar of strength. “She is always there to pick me up,” he adds. Lethabo got his big break through his sister who was one of the first sign language interpreters in South Africa. Mpho recommended Lethabo, who was then 18years old, to a friend who was looking for interpreters for the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA). That was when his career took off. Although he already knew basic signs from communicating with his parents, when he started working for DeafSA, he did the in-house training there.

A typical day at work for Lethabo entails interpreting at government workshops as well as community based functions amongst others. “I get to the venue, wait to meet my client and wait for the client to choose a spot for me to stand. From there on I interpret,” he says. “My greatest challenge has been voicing-over when the client wants to speak. But I have slowly overcome that with experience,” Lethabo adds.

To his parents, Lethabo is a gem. His parents describe him as a “clever but shy” child who, like other, was naughty when growing up. His friends though, know him as a “Crazy and outgoing” somebody.

Off the clock, Lethabo reigns as the champion of his X-box console. He has managed to scoop cash prizes as well as more games to add to his collection through his hobby. Lethabo takes part in MainGaiming competitions which are annually held throughout the country.

So how does the future look like for Lethabo? “ I would like to work in a lab,” he says. This sparked by his profound love for chemistry. Lethabo would also like to have two or three kids, “That would be awesome!” he concludes.