Listening to the Ground

E-Government can be seen as governing through the use of information technology, and a key component of e-Government is e-Participation, the use of information and communications technologies to engage citizens more closely in government processes. Public participation is achieved by a range of means, any or all of which might benefit from the use of technology in order to reduce costs and improve effectiveness. In South Africa, the public has a generally poor opinion of government services, even though Web and mobile technologies are being used. That sentiment sometimes ensues in social tensions. In this chapter, a review of literature, opinions of informed experts, and a scenario analysis develop indications and a model for e-Participation maturing with e-readiness improving.