Diffusing the Ubuntu philosophy into e-government: a South African perspective

Abstract

This chapter reviews the context of the South African government and its conspicuous inclination to the way of life, Ubuntu. Ubuntu is growing in popularity and is increasingly being applied as an African solution to African problems such as poverty, political strife and trade. Using Grounded Theory analysis, the findings revealed the critical importance of ICT not threatening tradition but rather complementing it, the role ICT could play in enabling or enhancing community assemblies, and the marginalized role of women citing how ICT might be used as a means to empower rather than marginalize women even further. The authors conclude that e-government needs to be conceptualized in South Africa for a more culturally acceptable and relevant approach to the use of ICT innovations for development.