Unlocking Johannesburg
OneCity Letter #3
OneCity Letter #3
August 28, 2025
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To the New Era of Digital Government?
A Spatial Lens on SA’s Policy Evolution
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To the New Era of Digital Government?
A Spatial Lens on SA’s Policy Evolution
Hi there,
We’re the OneCity team — making urban and property data more accessible, understandable, and practical.
Each month, we unpack complex frameworks, zoning policies, and market trends as part of our day-to-day work. In these monthly letters, you’ll find simple explanations and valuable insights we’ve gathered along the way — all to help you work more confidently in South Africa’s development landscape.
We’re the OneCity team — making urban and property data more accessible, understandable, and practical.
Each month, we unpack complex frameworks, zoning policies, and market trends as part of our day-to-day work. In these monthly letters, you’ll find simple explanations and valuable insights we’ve gathered along the way — all to help you work more confidently in South Africa’s development landscape.
AI summary:
South Africa’s digital governance has progressed from fragmented ICT policies toward integrated but often weakly enforced strategies. The 2003 SASDI Act set geospatial data standards, yet later frameworks—the 2012 ICT Governance Framework, 2016 ICT White Paper, and 2017 e-Government Strategy—struggled with interoperability, underfunding, and legacy systems. The draft 2024 Digital Government Policy Framework now prioritises modern infrastructure, data-driven governance, cybersecurity, and skills. Future success hinges on enforceable standards, timely open data, and stronger public-private data partnerships.
South Africa’s digital governance has progressed from fragmented ICT policies toward integrated but often weakly enforced strategies. The 2003 SASDI Act set geospatial data standards, yet later frameworks—the 2012 ICT Governance Framework, 2016 ICT White Paper, and 2017 e-Government Strategy—struggled with interoperability, underfunding, and legacy systems. The draft 2024 Digital Government Policy Framework now prioritises modern infrastructure, data-driven governance, cybersecurity, and skills. Future success hinges on enforceable standards, timely open data, and stronger public-private data partnerships.
The Evolution of Digital Governance:
A Legislative & Strategic Timeline
South Africa's journey toward digital government has been shaped by several key policies and frameworks. While progress has been made, implementation gaps and legacy challenges persist—often leaving citizens unsure of where to turn for services. Below, we trace the major milestones, their intended impact, and where they succeeded or fell short.
A Legislative & Strategic Timeline
South Africa's journey toward digital government has been shaped by several key policies and frameworks. While progress has been made, implementation gaps and legacy challenges persist—often leaving citizens unsure of where to turn for services. Below, we trace the major milestones, their intended impact, and where they succeeded or fell short.
2003
The primary purpose is to ensure the open sharing of spatial information among organs of State. It laid groundwork for coordinated spatial data use in urban planning, disaster management, and service delivery.
2012
Aimed to standardise ICT governance across government to enhance efficiency and interoperability. However, weak implementation and lack of enforcement resulted in continued fragmentation of systems. This failure to mandate concrete interoperability standards perpetuated the very inefficiencies the framework sought to resolve.
2016
Aligned ICT development with socio-economic goals – including universal broadband access and digital inclusion – while recognising digital transformation as a cross-cutting priority that influenced later strategies. Serving as a corrective response to the 2012 Framework's implementation failures, it sought to replace weak governance with a bolder, inclusive ICT strategy. Yet both policies revealed South Africa's recurring challenge: ambitious vision without enforceable mechanisms.
2017
This strategy aimed to create a people-centred, development-oriented digital government by directly addressing past implementation failures – particularly poor system integration – and proposing concrete solutions like shared platforms. While this represented a clear-eyed plan to modernise public services, progress has been hampered by the persistent use of legacy systems across government departments, slowing essential modernisation. It remains the last fully adopted cross-government policy.
2024
The DGPF represents South Africa’s most recent comprehensive policy evolution, currently in draft form pending formal adoption. It directly addresses gaps in prior frameworks - integrating lessons from the 2018 Digital Maturity Assessment that revealed systemic failures in legacy infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital skills. To align the public service with international standards, the DGPF prioritises four key interventions:
- Modernising ICT infrastructure,
- Enabling data-driven governance,
- Enhancing cybersecurity protocols,
- Developing digital skills across the government
Pathways for South Africa's Next Digital Evolution
South Africa's digital governance framework has evolved from fragmented beginnings toward integrated ambition. The 2003 SASDI Act laid foundational geospatial standards but suffered weak enforcement. Subsequent policies - the 2012 ICT Governance Framework, 2016 ICT White Paper, and 2017 e-Government Strategy - repeatedly identified systemic gaps yet struggled to implement solutions. South Africa’s digital policies have repeatedly stumbled over weak enforcement, siloed implementation, and chronic underfunding - while failing to bridge urban-rural divides or modernise legacy systems. These systemic flaws persist because strategies prioritise aspiration over actionable compliance, leaving citizens with fragmented services and untapped potential.
At OneCity, we've witnessed how these challenges manifest in practice, particularly within spatial data integration and urban analytics. Our experience points to three key priorities:
At OneCity Insights, we enrich metro datasets with external sources and analytical tools to create a comprehensive 360-degree view of properties. We believe governments can deliver the greatest public value by focusing analytics on urgent, action-oriented decisions, while also prioritising the release of standardised, up-to-date, and open data. This foundation enables companies to develop innovative solutions that transform public information into wider societal value.
South Africa's digital governance framework has evolved from fragmented beginnings toward integrated ambition. The 2003 SASDI Act laid foundational geospatial standards but suffered weak enforcement. Subsequent policies - the 2012 ICT Governance Framework, 2016 ICT White Paper, and 2017 e-Government Strategy - repeatedly identified systemic gaps yet struggled to implement solutions. South Africa’s digital policies have repeatedly stumbled over weak enforcement, siloed implementation, and chronic underfunding - while failing to bridge urban-rural divides or modernise legacy systems. These systemic flaws persist because strategies prioritise aspiration over actionable compliance, leaving citizens with fragmented services and untapped potential.
At OneCity, we've witnessed how these challenges manifest in practice, particularly within spatial data integration and urban analytics. Our experience points to three key priorities:
- Standardised Data Practices: Enhance uniformity and accuracy in data collection/reporting across metros and government bodies
- Timely, Comparable Data: Ensure datasets are available for consistent periods with regular updates
- Open Data Partnerships: Establish frameworks for supplementing official data with verified private-sector sources
At OneCity Insights, we enrich metro datasets with external sources and analytical tools to create a comprehensive 360-degree view of properties. We believe governments can deliver the greatest public value by focusing analytics on urgent, action-oriented decisions, while also prioritising the release of standardised, up-to-date, and open data. This foundation enables companies to develop innovative solutions that transform public information into wider societal value.
While these policy documents may not directly dictate developer workflows, they fundamentally shape South Africa's data infrastructure and service ecosystem.
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As you navigate this landscape, remember:
🔹 SASDI (2003) is legally binding. Municipal GIS portals (e.g., Joburg Maps) still implement its standards.
🔹 e-Government Strategy (2017) is last formally adopted cross-government strategy. Guides metro digitisation (e.g., Cape Town's e-services).
🔸 2012 Framework is no longer operational.
🔸 2016 White Paper’s vision absorbed; not actionable as standalone policy.
📌 2024 DGPF (Draft) is future benchmark. Will reshape priorities if adopted.
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As you navigate this landscape, remember:
🔹 SASDI (2003) is legally binding. Municipal GIS portals (e.g., Joburg Maps) still implement its standards.
🔹 e-Government Strategy (2017) is last formally adopted cross-government strategy. Guides metro digitisation (e.g., Cape Town's e-services).
🔸 2012 Framework is no longer operational.
🔸 2016 White Paper’s vision absorbed; not actionable as standalone policy.
📌 2024 DGPF (Draft) is future benchmark. Will reshape priorities if adopted.
Looking Ahead
In next month’s letter, we’ll analyse how these policies manifest in practice:
That’s it for this month’s breakdown — practical tools need clear rules. Find more planning insights and updates at onecity.dev and stay tuned for next month’s edition.
In next month’s letter, we’ll analyse how these policies manifest in practice:
- Current state of SA’s digital services
- Critical datasets available for developers/analysts
- Real-world data quality and accessibility assessments
- Spatial data gaps and opportunities
That’s it for this month’s breakdown — practical tools need clear rules. Find more planning insights and updates at onecity.dev and stay tuned for next month’s edition.
Stay Updated
