The
impact of the Digital Divide on the democracy and the government of South
Africa.
Access
to the telecommunications and through that information remains a development
issue for South Africa and bridging the digital divide is an on-going challenge
for the South African government. Changes in the economic landscape also
contribute to the widening digital divide and shape the way people access
information and communication. “with an estimated 4,590,00 South African
internet users at the end of 2006, and a total of 378,00 broadband internet
subscribers as of September 2008, the number of internet users has grown. But this
number is still a drop in the ocean of 45 million people”. (Sally-jean
Marishane, 2009).
e-democracy
is a relatively new nation and remains somewhat fluid due to its fundamental
relationship with technology and the internet, fields that are themselves
ever-changing, and somewhat unpredictably so.” E-government is a critical
aspect of e-democracy providing a foundation through open government and transparency
initiatives towards a more informed, active citizenry” (Gordon Brown, 2009).
E-government
refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as
wide area networks ,the internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability
to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.
The impact or outcomes of e-government are as follows:
·
Better
delivering of government service to citizens
·
Improved
interactions with the business industry
·
Citizen
empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government
management.
The
digital divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing
amount of information between those who have access to the internet and those
who do not have access. The term became popular among concerned parties, such
as scholars, policy makers and advocacy groups in the late 1990s. Broadly
speaking the difference is not necessarily determined by the access to the
internet, but by access to ICT (information and communications technologies)
and to media that the different segments of society can use.
Just
like any other countries, South Africa is also affected by the digital
divide.in 1994 the new South Africa was born and great optimism and hope
characterised the nation. Many people anticipated the new policies and firm
measures of redness would contribute to the creation of more equitable and fair
society that would enable South Africa to become a player in the global economy
(czerneiwics, 2004). What makes South Africa interesting in terms of the
digital divide is the country’s multi ethnic and multi lingual profile. According
to the Trusler (2003) South Africa has to deal with a number of challenges
before they can begin with initiatives for bridging the digital divide. Their challenges
issues are as follows:
·
A
high level of inequality
·
A
weak ICT infrastructure particularly in rural areas
·
A
lack of ICT readiness in the government
The
digital divide is not indeed a clear single gap which divides a society into
two groups. Researchers report that disadvantage can take such forms as lower
promance computer, lower quality or high price connections, difficulty of obtaining
technical assistance, and lower access to subscription based contents.
The
lack of access to ICT deprives citizens of a chance to access information relevant
to their development. Even the assumptions that making telecommunications
devices available in semi-rural areas and rural areas contributes to increased universal
access is erroneous. We need to go beyond the access equals-development
scenario.
References
Cain
Miller, C. (2008) ,how obama’s internet campaign changed politics. The New York
times, November 7.
Hamilton,
M. (2006), The role of libraries in bridging the digital divide, Academic
information service, October 26.
Internet
world statistics 2008: www.internetworldstats.com
South
Africa -the Good news (2008) mobile internet users exceed pc users, 27
November. www.sagoodnews.co.za
