Public Service Month turns to digitisation as Home Affairs and identity services move online
Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi sets out the digital roadmap, from Digital Identity to a nine-language Batho Pele chatbot, while warning that access gaps must not become new barriers.
Government is using Public Service Month to argue that digitisation is now central to how the state delivers services, with digital identity, expanded Home Affairs channels and a public servant chatbot already running.
Writing for SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi said the world in which public services are delivered is changing rapidly, as citizens increasingly use digital platforms to communicate, access information, make payments and conduct business.
“These changes are creating new expectations about how services should be accessed and delivered,” he wrote, adding that government is responding by embracing digital transformation as an enabler of a modern, efficient and citizen-centred public service.
He tied the direction to the National Development Plan 2030, which calls for well-run and effectively coordinated state institutions supported by skilled public servants. Digitisation, he argued, is not about technology for technology’s sake but about using innovation purposefully to strengthen service quality and improve the citizen’s experience.
The Department of Public Service and Administration’s Digital Public Services Standard underpins the approach, requiring services that are accessible, ethical, secure, user-centric and innovative, in keeping with the principles of Batho Pele.
What is already running
Baloyi pointed to several initiatives as evidence the transformation is taking shape.
Digital Identity is creating opportunities for citizens to securely verify their identities and access government services digitally. The expansion of digital Home Affairs services, including a partnership with participating banks, is bringing selected services closer to citizens through channels beyond traditional government offices.
Through the MyMzansi initiative and the Digital Transformation Roadmap, government says it is laying the foundations for more connected digital public services, including secure digital identity, data exchange, digital payments and trusted digital channels. MzansiXchange is supporting secure information sharing and verification across government.
The Batho Pele AI Chatbot, launched in August 2026 in partnership with Meta and Juicetel, gives public servants access to policy updates, circulars, legislation and other government information in nine South African official languages. By cutting the time officials spend searching for information, the tool is intended to improve responsiveness and free up time for the people they serve.
Inclusion as the condition
Baloyi said digital inclusion must remain at the centre of the approach, noting that not every South African has the same access to connectivity, devices or digital skills.
“A modern Public Service must therefore expand digital access while ensuring that appropriate alternative channels remain available,” he wrote. “Digital transformation should broaden access to government, rather than create new barriers.”
The same caution applies to the workforce. Emerging technologies can help officials access information and automate routine processes, but Baloyi was explicit that technology cannot replace the human responsibility of public service.
“Judgement, empathy, ethics and a commitment to the public good cannot be automated,” he wrote. Public servants remain accountable for the decisions they make and the services they provide, and the purpose of digitisation is to equip them to serve people better, not to remove people from public service.
He added that the pace of technological change means government can benefit from working with the private sector, academia, civil society and other partners, while retaining the responsibility to ensure innovation serves the public interest, protects citizens’ information, promotes inclusion and stays aligned with constitutional values.
Baloyi is the Deputy Government Spokesperson. The piece was published by SAnews (South African Government News Agency) on 21 September 2026 and is available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/why-digitisation-essential-public-service-works.
