By Motlatsi Komote
In his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined a bold shift towards a digital and AI-driven future, positioning technology as a key enabler of economic growth, governance reform, and national security. From AI-powered government services to crime and corruption prevention, the speech underscored how digital transformation will shape the country’s future. As the government increasingly embraces automation, AI, and big data to improve service delivery, we must remain critical of these interventions, especially in the context of increasing online privacy violations, algorithmic and data abuses, and surveillance.
Listed below are government's proposed policy interventions over the next financial year.
Digital transformation in government services
The government is investing in digital infrastructure to improve service delivery, which includes:
Investing in digital public infrastructure.
A newly improved gov.za platform that will allow South Africans to access public services "anytime, anywhere" through a more centralised digital system.
A new digital identity system aimed at streamlining public access to services.
✅ These initiatives have the potential to reduce bureaucracy and lead to faster, more transparent service delivery.
⚠️ Without robust safeguards, regulations, and oversight, the digital ID system could lead to mass surveillance, identity fraud, and the exclusion of those without digital access.
AI in governance, crime, corruption, and fraud prevention
The introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation System aims to automate and digitise visa applications to improve efficiency and reduce corruption.
The South African Revenue Service will continue leveraging AI to detect fraud, which has already resulted in the prevention of R95 billion in losses and the recovery of R20 billion in revenue.
A new high-tech forensic lab will help investigate complex corruption and digital financial crimes.
AI-driven predictive policing and surveillance will be expanded to combat crime.
✅ AI can be a powerful tool in detecting and mitigating fraud, identity theft, corruption, and cybercrime.
⚠️ AI-driven visa approvals and tax decisions may disproportionately impact marginalised groups if not designed with ethical oversight and transparency. Additionally, if unregulated, AI policing models could reinforce discrimination and wrongful targeting of vulnerable communities.
AI and digital innovation for economic growth
A new fund for AI and digital startups aims to drive local innovation.
The business process outsourcing sector will lead to job creation for young people in digital services.
A new industrial policy will be developed to focus on digitisation as a pillar of economic growth.
✅Encouraging local AI startups and digital businesses can position South Africa as a leader in tech innovation. It can also open new opportunities in the gig and influence economies.
⚠️ Without reskilling and sustainable programmes, AI-driven automation may worsen unemployment, leaving both the state and its people vulnerable.
Our digital future must be rooted in rights and ethics
To create a digital future that truly serves the South African public, inclusivity, accountability, and ethical governance must take precedence. AI-driven government services must enhance access rather than entrench exclusion, ensuring that marginalised communities are not left behind. Transparency and oversight mechanisms must be embedded into AI decision-making processes to prevent bias, discrimination, and misuse of power.
At the same time, stronger data protection laws are needed to safeguard the public from corporate exploitation and state overreach. AI-driven surveillance, predictive policing, and digital identity systems must be subject to independent oversight to prevent abuses of power and ensure accountability.
Public engagement will also be crucial in shaping AI governance. Policies must reflect the input of civil society, human rights organisations, and the general public to ensure that AI decisions impacting public welfare are transparent, open to challenge, and people-centred.
Furthermore, ethical innovation must be at the heart of South Africa’s digital transformation. AI funding and development must align with human rights and social justice principles, positioning the country as a leader in responsible AI regulation at a global level.
The promise of a just digital future
South Africa stands at a defining moment in its digital transformation journey. The expansion of AI and data-driven governance presents an opportunity to streamline services, combat corruption, and drive innovation, but it also carries risks of surveillance overreach, job displacement, and widening inequality.
As the government pushes forward with AI-driven reforms, the real challenge will be ensuring transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. Technology alone will not solve South Africa’s challenges. The way it is deployed, who benefits, and who is left behind will determine the true success of this digital revolution.
The future is being written in code, and it must serve the public interest.
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