However, by the 1990s, South Korea had turned this situation around and succeeded in becoming an “information society” as well as a major innovator and exporter of communications technology, said Cheung. Today Korea has one of the best-developed e-government infrastructures in the world.
Read more: South Africa can learn from South Korean strategies
In 2008, SA was ranked a respectable 39th in global e-readiness by the respected Economist Intelligence Unit, but what does that really say about the state of SA's ICT infrastructure, not to mention the ability of its citizens, businesses and governments to use ICT benefits?
Speaking at ITWeb's e-government conference in Johannesburg this week, Mtimunye warned that initiatives around e-government are still “perched awkwardly between its patchy performance and its persistent promise”.
Speaking at the two-day ITWeb eGovernment conference at Emperor's Palace, Mtimunye said the challenge to realise the full potential of e-government, aligned with the circumstances and priorities of the country, will not be met until understanding and responding to the needs of citizens is made the top priority.
Read more: South Africa: Customer-centric approach crucial in e-gov
The draft framework was jointly developed by the Association for Progressive Communications, the Southern African NGO Network and the Shuttleworth Foundation.
The forum states its goal is to provide affordable broadband access to the Internet for all South Africans. This will only be achieved once fibre and wireless broadband infrastructure are maximised, it notes.