Abstract
Service delivery protests are widespread in South Africa, with approximately 2,000 of these protests occurring annually on a national scale. This high frequency or protests is often attributed to various issues including the lack of attention given by both the national and local governments to essential social services such as water, electricity, and healthcare. While there is a consensus that inefficiencies exist at multiple levels of South African government, there has been limited examination of the underlying causes of this inefficiency. In today's rapidly changing technological landscape, where citizens expect prompt solutions to their problems, one contributing factor to government inefficiency could be the inadequate implementation of e-Government initiatives aimed at enhancing public participation in matters affecting citizens. This study thus aimed to establish the extent to which the South African government employs e-government to increase by participation by the ordinary people in service delievery issues with the ultimate aim of reducing the number of service delivery protests which are counter-productive as they disrupt economic and social activities. The study made of use of the Relative Deprivation Theory in an attempt to understand the extent to which government and local authority failure to use e-government could be held responsible for service delivery protests in South Africa’s municipalities. The research adopted a systematic literature review (SLR) approach, also known as an evidence-based review, to gather and analyse relevant data and insights.
The method encompassed in this study included collection of journal articles taken from internet sources, books from the library and desktop searches. Notably, prominent online resources were harnessed, notably those accessible through the University of Johannesburg library website and Google Scholar databases. The data gathered were qualitative in nature and content analysis was used to analyse them. The results of the study showed that at various levels, ggovernmental institutions usually find it difficult to draw attention of the public to their online platforms so that they can encourage active public participation in political, social and policy-related issues. Although the public may be generally interested in the public sphere, they usually prefer having discussions around social issues on digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, rather than visiting government websites. Technology and digital platforms enable the public to participate in issues of interest without physical,
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cost and psychological barriers. Hence, employing technological tools represents a viable approach to enhance public participation in South African municipalities through the implementation of e-government initiatives. The study recommends that South African municipalities prioritise the adoption of e-governance for greater accountability and transparency. Equally crucial is the need for municipalities to actively raise public awareness regarding the accessible e-Government resources. This effort aims to enhance the frequency and quality of engagement with the public, ultimately aiming to reduce service delivery protests.