The Electronic Library Challenges and opportunities of e-government in South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present challenges and opportunities of e-government implementation in South Africa with special reference to service delivery and implications for libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an in-depth literature review from government documents, presidential state of the nation addresses, global and nation reports on e-government, and reports on service delivery concerns in South Africa. Findings – The Government of South Africa has put in place enabling policies, poverty alleviation programmes, ICT infrastructures and regulatory frameworks which as yet have not been effectively leveraged to enhance service delivery to its citizens. Furthermore, libraries have yet to make any attempts to benefit from the emergence of e-government in South Africa. Practical implications – There is a need to infuse an e-government ethos in poverty alleviation programmes in order to enhance service delivery. At the moment there is a lack of synergy between the two in South Africa. Additionally, South African ICT infrastructure is under-utilised to enhance service delivery. Libraries have the opportunity using e-government infrastructure to improve the provision of information services to the people. Originality/value – Service delivery remains a priority for the post-apartheid South African government, and the paper reveals that a disconnect exists between the e-government vision and the poverty alleviation programmes aimed at enhancing the standard of living of the people. Libraries in South Africa have yet to leverage e-government to provide information services and the paper may assist them in doing so.