South Africa Prioritizes Digital Sovereignty in Government Transformation

Digital sovereignty is about understanding where data is stored, who may access it and how systems work together. (Image: iStock) Digital sovereignty is SA’s practical ability to make accountable choices about critical public data and infrastructure. It is at the core of government’s strategy to digitally transform service delivery, as well as to bolster internal and external communications. This was a key message to delegates attending the GovTech 2026 event, hosted in Durban this week. Professor Stella Bvuma, chairperson of the board at the State IT Agency (SITA), told delegates that digital sovereignty is about understanding where data is stored, who may access it, how systems work together, and how services continue when a network or supplier fails. Bvuma said this sovereignty also means building the skills and local capability to make those choices confidently. “It starts with connectivity… connectivity is the bridge, but connectivity alone is not the service. Data and digital services must move across that bridge under clear legal authority, interoperable standards and strong safeguards. Connectivity can bring knowledge and opportunity closer, but we must also provide reliable services, accessible digital tools, resilient power and the human support required to use them.” SITA’s role is to enable secure, integrated and cost-effective public sector ICT services while respecting the statutory responsibilities of departments, regulators and other institutions, Bvuma added. Procurement of technology must be about value for money and end results, she said. According to Bvuma, for the first four months of the 2026/27 financial year, SITA reported that R183 million was spent on procurement from SMEs, representing 49% of available procurement spend against an annual target of 45%. “That progress deserves recognition,” said Bvuma. “Our responsibility, however, is to establish what the spending produces. “We should measure sustainable enterprises by the jobs retained and created, accredited skills, supplier performance, payment times, local intellectual property and the ability of those SMEs to grow beyond SITA contracts. Procurement must contribute to a competitive South African ICT ecosystem while maintaining value for money, service quality and procurement integrity,” she continued. Khule Duma, portfolio lead for partnerships and programmes in the Private Office of the President and a representative of the Digital Services Unit – established under the Presidency to co-ordinate and drive government’s digital transformation roadmap – reinforced the importance of digital public infrastructure (DPI) as the foundation of SA's digital future. He described a model built on four critical pillars: digital identity, data exchange, digital payments and integrated service channels. “Together, these capabilities can create a seamless government experience in which citizens provide information once, securely verify their identity, and access multiple government services through a unified system,” said Duma. He argued that digital sovereignty is fundamentally about democratic control of the systems, data and infrastructure that underpin public services. Government representatives stressed that digital sovereignty is not about isolation, but about ensuring that SA retains the capability, skills and freedom to make informed technology decisions while fostering innovation and partnership. “Citizens do not experience government as separate departments. They experience one government. Our task is therefore to build digital public infrastructure that removes administrative burdens, connects services across the state and places government services at the fingertips of every South African,” said Duma. According to Bvuma, by GovTech 2027, the SITA board expects management to report against a verified baseline and time-bound targets: operational sites connected, end-to-end service availability and restoration time, cost performance, service outcomes, s