THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT AND DEMOCRACY

The Information and Communication Technology for Development (2008:43) defines Digital divide as the gap that exists between those who have access to Information and Communications Technology. Digital Divide can exist between those living in rural areas and those living in urban areas, between the educated and the uneducated, between economic classes and on a global scale between more and less industrially developed nations.

Just like many other countries, South Africa is also affected by the digital divide. In 1994 the new South Africa wasborn and great optimism and hope characterized the nation.  Many people anticipated the new policies and firm measures of redness would contribute to the creation of a more equitable and fair society that would enable South Africa to become a player in the global economy (Czerniewicz, 2004). What makes South Africa interesting in terms of the digital divide is the country’s multi ethnic and multi-lingual profile.

 

e-DEMOCRACY is defined as the use of information and communications technologies and strategies by democratic sectors (citizens, voters, political organizations, the media, elected officials and governments) within the political processes of local communities, states or regions, nations and on global stage (Clift 2004).

"This understanding is critical if we are to establish and maintain a robust participatory democracy in which all of us work together to build a better society and economy," Motlanthe said in his meeting with the leadership of the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) Source: SANews.gov.za .

 

 

The impact of digital divide on the South African e-Democracy 

Many have argued  that the internet has become a force for democracy in the world.

The internet offers new channels for political participation that did not exist before and modifies existing political participation channels. South African citizens can access the internet  through personal computers, mobile phones while those who can't afford can use public libraries and internet cafes.

 Political participation is dependent on the ease with  people can do this and so would be influenced by financial cost, time, opportunity cost etc. The internet is argued to alter the cost structure of political participation and therefore change the political participation from the past.

The interactive nature of the internet enlarges political communication, including real-life concerns of South African citizens. South Africans can communicate through social networking such as Twitter, Facebook etc. their point of views on political, social and economical issues. 

 Through the use of the internet , citizens can lively discuss and debate on particular issues regardless of their political and economical power in South Africa.

 However, government’s intimidation to restrict the Internet threatens  South African democracy.

e-GOVERNMENT is the use of information and communications and technologies to improve the activities of the public sector organisations, therefore improving government processes, connecting citizens and building external interactions (Richard 2009).

The impact of digital divide on the south African e-Government

Since 1994 the South African government has launched a number of e-governance initiatives, some involving very advanced technology in order to introduce e- governance (Kroukamp, 2005).

 South Africa has nine (9) provinces and each has its own Provincial legislature and Provincial Administration. Each Provincial government has various departments responsible for various aspects of service delivery including health, social development and welfare services, education, agriculture and conservation, safety and security, transport, local government planning and housing. Provincial departments are key agencies of service delivery (Mokhele & Deer, ).

Like other governments around the world, South African Government is already in the process to improve service delivery and redressing of the past (Mokhele & De Beer).

All most all government departments and agencies in South Africa have their own website on which they  show submission of tax returns through the National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS). This system provides extensive information and documentation about the national archive services to the public and to governments bodies and the Department of Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS) project which has initiated an automated identification of database of fingerprints to combat crime.(Va der Waldt, 2003).

South Africa has also taken taking steps to embrace and establish an e-government framework. For example, the Department of Home Affairs has rolled out mobile units that make use of satellites to enable citizens in rural parts to apply for ID books, is now investigating a national fingerprint database.

The purpose of e-government is that it enables democracy and allows citizens to engage and debate with the government on issues of concern. As a result  of  the challenging digital divide, enabling this access electronically is challenging in South Africa.

 Given this information it can be deduced that Digital Divide does affect South Africa making it easy for the rich and poor to have access to internet and participate in building the South African Democracy and Government. 

　

FOR THE LOVE OF FASHION!

Back in the day fashion and fashion design used to be for ladies, but today things are diffferent -guys can take on a career as fashion designers and dress up to perfection!



photo by: Jo-Anne Molema







photo by: Jo-Anne Molema





photo by: Jo-Anne Molema



Brian Morei is a 20 year old gentleman who is from Polokwane but originally from Venda. He went to quiet a number of schools. He attended primary school at Millenium Primary school then went to Northern Academy High School and changed to Northcrest Academy.

"Fashion is more like a language, it’s the air that I breathe, it’s the words that I speak and it’s my daily bread", says the future fashion designer when he was asked what fashion meant to him.

Brian stated that his city’s fashion sense is still growing and developing because not everyone is expressing their fashion styles. The youth are still looking up to someone to set a trend when they- themselves can be trend setters.

When Brian was growing up he used to love clothes. However, he realized last year 2012 when he met a certain guy that he wanted to become a fashion designer. This same guy also made him realize his passion for fashion.

Brian Morei first designed a pair of male jean shorts. If Brian is using a sewing machine it usually takes him takes him up to 30 minutes to construct a piece.

Brian has seen talent in Polokwane’s local models but there is one guy whose name is Tsholofelo Mashilo who is his favourite local model. He further adds to say that Tsholofelo Mashilo has potential because of his appearance then he smiles.

Brian is still working on his accomplishments but revealed that he wants to own a shop which will sell his own fashion brand. Tom Ford and the likes of Ozwald Boateng are Brian’s favourite designers because they are some of the top designers in the world. The main reason they are his favourite designers would be that they design stylish male suits. Brian Morei confessed to being a suit fanatic.

Brian’s favourite clothing store is Markham.I quote:"They know how to bring clothes to us the unfortunate". Brian Morei considers himself an artist because before he comes up with a design it has to be creative, unique and different from everything he has designed. If Brian is in a good mood he will sketch a piece before constructing it.

What Brian likes best about designing clothes is when he gets to wear the designs he created. However, Brian dislikes it when people design clothing that is similar to his at a cheap cost.

Brian defines his personal style as a more modern vintage with a twist of his own style. This young man gets his inspiration from Fashion TV. "As I look at people on TV I can see that their style is unique and the fashion designers are excellent at what they do’’.

Some of Brian’s fashion goals include him hosting a fashion show of his own fashion line in London. His favourite fabrics to work with are velvet and wool. He clearly expressed that he loves working with wool when he said:" wool is a very desirable fabric because in order for one to feel warm in winter they have to put on clothing made from wool’’.

Brian Morei is a young man on a mission to fulfil his passion for fashion. Therefore, people should watch the space for he is going to make it big in the fashion industry correcting one male wardrobe disaster at a time!

The future with mobile and wireless technology!

In the Theory of the Evolution of Media (1979:852) mobile technology is the technology used for cellular communication. Mobile technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Since the start of the millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pager to being a mobile phone, an embedded web browser and instant messaging client.

Today the Network Society has Wikipedia which is an encyclopedia, YouTube which shows videos and Blogspot which posts blogs which can be accessed through mobile and wireless technology.

　

How was life before Facebook or Twitter?

Jan Van Djik (1997:43) describes the term network society as several different phenomena related to the social, political, economic and cultural changes caused by the spread of networked, digital information and communications technologies however; he further states that step by step mediated communication replaces face-to-face communication. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, instant messaging and emails are examples of the Network Society at work.

In the past few years we have moved from chat rooms to life-casting platforms that can be updated via one’s mobile phone. Parents can upload their child’s first moments of life on YouTube, before they leave the hospital, for example.

As we move forward, technology has increased the pace of our lives. The mobile technology creates jobs that are highly paid and sought after wherein people get employed to create social networks such as Twitter, for example.

Mobile technology enables society to go online to share, sell and swap goods and information. For instance, a fashion designer can promote sell his or her clothing line online and be able to obtain feedback from his or her own website.

The Network society is able to voice out their opinions through mobile and network activity. Viewers can vote for their favourite singers on television programs such as Idols using the Facebook page or Twitter, for example while the show is still on air.

Smart phones evolved from cell phones- phones which people talked and texted developed into phones through which the Network Society can work and play on the web. Iphones , Blackberrys (which began as mobile email devices) and Androids are examples of smart phones.

Tablets evolved from laptops – mobile computers, which at first required modems and then wifi, progressed into even lighter computers that provided the same data plans and easy internet access as smart phones.

Given this information, it can be concluded that the web services which make up the Network Society allow people all over the world to communicate through digital means without face-to-face contact. This demonstrates how ideas of society are changing due to mobile and wireless technology and will however, change the way we communicate overtime. Therefore, I fully agree that mobile and wireless technology will spread the network society to the most remote places and the deepest pores if the world.