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]