Clicking into the future, the rise of e-Government
From paperwork to power clicks, South Africa is also fast-tracking its digital future.
The country now ranks 40th on the United Nations global e-Government Development Index, climbing from 65th just two years ago.
Over 130 government services have already been digitised.
Professor Busani Ngcaweni from the Wits School of Governance says one major driver was the Covid-19 pandemic.
He says when the pandemic forced the country into lockdown, government had to rely on technology to continue delivering services.
That necessity drove rapid digital transformation.
But while progress is being made, the road ahead won't be without potholes.
Ngcaweni and other experts have stressed that digital transformation must strengthen public institutions, not weaken them.
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IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
Online and unafraid: LGBTQIA+ Africans push back against colonial-era hate
In numerous African countries, including Ghana (above) and Zimbabwe, colonial-era anti-homosexuality laws continue to do great harm to LGBTQIA+ communities. In a push against these inherited laws and attitudes, queer Africans are utilising social media as a tool to foster greater acceptance. Image: Carl Collison Golden Moyo* is a lay preacher in rural Zimbabwe. In 2018, after decades of hiding his sexual orientation, Moyo came out to his family and friends and his parish as gay. Attitudes to sexual and gender minorities in Zimbabwe are highly conservative. Those found guilty of consensual same-sex sexual activity could face up to one years imprisonment and a fine. The southern African country's anti-homosexuality law was first introduced by the British during its colonisation of Zimbabwe. According to Human Dignity Trust, the country has noted 'consistent reports of discrimination and violence being committed against LGBTQIA+ people in recent years, including assault, sexual violence, harassment, blackmail, and the denial of basic rights and services'. Moyo's decision has not been without consequence. News of his sexuality soon 'went viral… (with) people deliberating upon it', he says. There was also a protest at the church's headquarters. Says Moyo: 'They were saying things like this is against our culture. This is against our religion. This is against our laws…They say it is strange. It is not part of us and did not originate from our own people. (That) it's a Western thing. When the noise started, (with) people protesting, you really need people who stand up to say, 'No, this thing is not Western'. It's our own thing. It has always been in our midst.' For Moyo, as with an increasing number of LGBTQIA+ persons across the country, social media is an essential tool in a continued push for a break from the narrative that homosexuality - and queerness, more broadly - is a Western import. Moyo's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly, Twitter) has a combined following of just under 10 000 people. He also uses Clubhouse 'for the (weekly) LGBTQIA+ fellowship'. Moyo says he first realised the power of social media during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We could not gather as Christians, so we used to worship via social media. I realised that this is a thing that can quickly spread the message to others…I thought of it as a way that my voice can also be heard.' Tanatswa Gumbo, communications officer for the country's largest queer rights organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, says LGBTQIA+ people 'definitely have become more visible on social media'. Image: Supplied Tanatswa Gumbo, communications officer for the country's largest queer rights organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), says LGBTQIA+ people 'definitely have become more visible on social media'. 'LGBTQIA+ persons, particularly activists, have really been visible and have really become more outspoken in terms of challenging conservative attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ people. Especially the claims of homosexuality being un-African; not being Christian,' says Gumbo. Research conducted by Princess Sibanda and Gibson Ncube found that, for queer Zimbabweans, online 'spaces represent a powerful act of resistance, a way for queer Zimbabweans to claim their right to exist and express themselves…. It's like they're sending love letters to the world, saying that queer love is just as important and beautiful as any other kind of love.' Zimbabwe is, of course, only one of numerous African states to have inherited homophobic laws and attitudes as a result of colonisation. The end of colonial rule has, however, seen some countries (such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Namibia) place added restrictions on the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons. Ghana is one such country. The West African state inherited its first anti-homosexuality law during British rule. Section 104 of the country's Criminal Code of 1960 - seen largely as 'an after-effect of the colonial era' - carries with it a sentence of up to three years' imprisonment for men found guilty of consensual same-sex relations. Ghana's latest anti-LGBT law, the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill (commonly known as the Anti-LGBT Bill), is particularly draconian and has been described as 'brutal, harsh, and unjust'. In 2021, Angel Maxine, Ghana's only openly transgender musician and queer rights activist, penned a song, titled Kill the Bill, in protest against the Anti-LGBT Bill. In addition to using her music as a tool for awareness-raising, Maxine also relies heavily on social media to try and effect change. 'If social media was available…during the colonial days, I'm sure a lot of people would have been educated by now, and we would (not be in) this era that we are in,' Maxine says, in reference to the increasing queerphobic rhetoric sweeping across the continent. 'Because even though some of us are on social media, we are still living in our colonial days; still carrying the colonial thinking. But there are also people who are using social media who have broken free from this colonialism. In Africa, we have made use of social media positively to educate people.' Maxine is now living in Berlin, having fled Ghana as a result of persecution based on her gender identity and her queer rights activism. The distance from her home country makes her rely on social media even more. 'Sometimes when the grounds become very hard and difficult for us to meet in person, social media is where we can meet. I am currently in Germany, but I'm communicating with people in Ghana through social media.' Alex Kofi Donkor, the executive director of LGBT Rights Ghana, says LGBTQIA+ Ghanaians are creating social media content that challenges the narrative that queerness is a Western import. Image: Supplied Alex Kofi Donkor is the founder and executive director of LGBT Rights Ghana. 'I would say most of the mobilisation and most of the engagement at the initial stages (of establishing LGBT Rights Ghana)] was through social media. Even as of now, most of the mobilisation is done via various social media platforms,' says Donkor. Aside from activists utilising social media for policy and attitude reforms, there are also individual members of Ghana's LGBTQIA+ communities who, Donkor says, are 'putting content out there that challenges the status quo and challenges so many thoughts that Ghanaians have around LGBTQIA+ issues…that it's a Western import'. As could be expected, given the repressive contexts in which this content is created, there are downsides to proudly sharing pro-LGBTQIA+ content. A recent example of this was when a queer South African undertook the social media campaign, #ShowGhanaLove. Ostensibly meant as a show of solidarity with queer Ghanaians, the campaign had the opposite effect, as anti-queer politicians used the resultant public outrage to add pressure on the Ghanaian government to expedite the passing of the Anti-LGBT Bill. Says Donkor: 'People tend to react quickly when (LGBTQIA+ content) is openly or obviously put out there. People tend to react in a very negative way.' Ghanaian human rights activist, Angel Maxine, sees social media as an integral tool in raising awareness. Image: Eemmax Experience
IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
Nicholas Haysom's inspiring journey: From apartheid activist to UN peace advocate
Working alongside Nelson Mandela, Nicholas Haysom played a pivotal role in shaping South Africa's democratic future. Image: United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) / Facebook Nicholas 'Fink' Haysom, a young white activist, risked detention in South Africa to oppose the apartheid regime. He later worked alongside Nelson Mandela and continues to pursue peace and human rights today as special representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Haysom recently shared his story on Awake At Night, a United Nations (UN) podcast. Melissa Fleming, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, conducted the interview. Haysom grew up in a white family in KwaZulu-Natal, and from an early age, he was conscious of apartheid. 'I think it would have been really surprising if I hadn't been able to kind of witness and acknowledge the cruelty of systematic racial discrimination,' Haysom said. Having politically conscious parents and siblings who had been involved as activists made it easy for Haysom to become a critic of apartheid. He grew up in an environment in which opposing apartheid was a sign of your humanity rather than a source of fear. He was detained or arrested five or six times. Although deciding to pursue law at university, Haysom believed the law and legal route were not going to be a way in which South Africa would transform. He said they never thought apartheid would end, but things changed when Mandela was released from prison in 1990. The ANC asked him to join its legal and constitutional negotiations team, the Constitutional Commission, where he spent two or three years amid a group of intellectuals whose task was to negotiate and conceptualise the kind of South Africa they wanted to build and to negotiate with the National Party government on how they would get there. 'Getting there was also as complicated as trying to find the kind of formula for a perfect constitutional state that properly appreciated the need for equality among all its citizens,' Haysom said. 'It was both exciting in the conceptualisation part, but also the implementation. And I think that's what led to me being asked to be Mandela's legal advisor in the office of the Presidency while he was president. 'I think people… when they think of Mandela, they think simply of a gentle, kind old man, but he was steely, strong in the conviction he had that he was embarking on the right path. And he persevered, and as I say to my children, 'The lesson of Mandela is not just being a nice person, it's perseverance in your ideals that will change the world'.' He said Mandela was adamant that his first government would set an example in respect for the rule of law. Nicholas Haysom reflects on his journey from a young activist in South Africa to a key figure in global peace efforts. Image: Isaac Billy/United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Following the end of Mandela's presidency, Haysom collaborated with former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere, who was actively seeking a resolution to the conflict in Burundi. Nyerere's team eventually facilitated a peace agreement in Burundi. Haysom then spent several years in Kenya, mediating efforts to achieve peace in Sudan. These efforts ultimately led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan. After the Sudan peace agreement, the UN made contact, asking if Haysom would work in leading a constitutional advisory team in the UN, before joining former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon's team. 'There was a time when I was quite probably inappropriately proud of my engagement, particularly in Burundi and in Sudan and in South Africa, where the engagement and the approach we'd adopted had yielded fruit. But after a few years, I looked around and found that almost all of those peace agreements were in trouble. So, it's a recognition that peace agreements don't last forever, that peace itself doesn't last forever. Democracy is not something that can be taken for granted. These are all issues that require a kind of constant engagement by people of good intent,' Haysom said. He mentioned that he is in a challenging situation in South Sudan, which struggles to find a formula and process for the community to coexist. 'There is a government formed, and we are in the process of trying to assist the South Sudanese, put in place preparations for elections.' [email protected]
The Citizen
15 hours ago
- The Citizen
New smoking laws will drive illicit tobacco market, warns industry leader
The proposed tobacco bill could change the way smokers access and enjoy cigarettes British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa) has warned that the pending tobacco bill could make life easier for illicit traders. The tobacco giant gave a presentation to parliament's portfolio committee on health on Tuesday, where it outlined its opposition to the bill. The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Conrtol Bill could introduce a host of changes to the way smokers access and enjoy their vice of choice. Illicit trade doubles in 10 years Batsa's presentation explained how South Africa saw a excise tax loss of over R4 billion while smoking was banned during the 2020 government-mandated Covid lockdowns. Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at the company's sub-Saharan Africa office, Johnny Moloto, said the industry was now dominated by illicit trade. Moloto highlighted how, in the space of 10 years, the illicit trade has gone from 35% of the market to roughly 75% currently. ALSO READ: Sars fights on, as illicit trade 'devastates' SA's fiscus He stated that the trend was cemented during the 2020 cigarette sales ban that saw smokers hunting for alternatives. Batsa's footprint in South Africa includes a factory exporting to eight markets, 35 000 industry-related jobs and 1 600 employees and a GDP contribution of R14.8 billion. 'We as Batsa contribute R8 billion annually in taxes to the fiscus, yet we are expected to compete against criminal syndicates,' Moloto said. Plain packaging an own-goal He explained that Batsa believes the bill is 'fundamentally flawed' due to a lack of both compliance and enforcement. 'This impact will only be felt by a small, compliant minority while the illicit majority thrive,' said Moloto. 'Every measure that we believe makes legal products less accessible or more expensive, we believe will drive more consumers towards the illicit market, where government has zero control over the contents, quality and age restrictions.' Some of the key outcomes of the bill aim to convert all indoor public spaces into smoke-free zones, mandatory plain packaging and a ban on cigarette vending machines and product displays. Moloto stressed that forcing manufacturers to release products in plain packaging would aid illicit sales as it would make it harder to detect counterfeit goods. Additionally, removing product displays at points of sale would deny consumers the ability to make informed decisions. The bill would also regulate vaping, with Moloto urging the committee to consider changes that would differentiate between combustibles and smokeless products based on risk levels. NOW READ: Tobacco Bill bans sale of loose cigarettes – informal traders fear bankruptcy
