An Empirical Study of the Uptake of Electronic Government Services by the Limpopo Department of Home Affairs

Abstract

Technology adoption models play an important role in understanding the different factors affecting the adoption and use of new technology. The development of well-informed e-Government strategies is the first stepping stone in the right direction for the successful implementation and successful use of e-Government. This paper investigated from the officials; perspective factors that affect the uptake of e-government services provided by the Limpopo departments of Home Affairs. Using a qualitative research approach whereby three different Department of Home Affairs’ service Centres namely Polokwane, Waterberg, and Sekhukhune in Limpopo province were used as case studies, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with nine (9) officials comprised of management, ICT department, and street-level officials to identify and understand better the factors affecting uptake of e-government in the DHA. The study found that lake of skills and access to e-government programmes were at the top of the list of challenges faced at the Centres. Therefore, the study recommended amendments to the ICT policy of the department so that it accommodates different languages spoken in societies particularly the eleven official languages currently spoken in South Africa. This article further recommends several solutions that can enhance the uptake of e-government in the DHA.