South Africa’s shift to digital social protection systems creates tensions between constitutional rights to social security and efficiency-driven technology reforms. This study, conducted as part of the DISPACT project, investigates the impact of digital innovations on accountability relationships within the country’s social protection system.
The research focuses specifically on how people use digital interfaces when accessing constitutional rights. Through analysis of the Social Relief of Distress grant and historical payment system changes, the research reveals ‘accountability displacement’ where citizens struggle to identify who is responsible when digital systems fail them. Digital systems systematically exclude vulnerable populations through design choices that prioritise efficiency over people’s rights, creating dependency on others to help with applications. Current complaint mechanisms function as administrative exercises rather than effective tools for holding government accountable.
The study also examines how digital tools can serve as evidence-gathering mechanisms for citizen participation, enabling communities to document problems and advocate for improvements in social protection delivery. Despite South Africa’s strong constitutional framework, digitalisation proceeds without meaningful citizen involvement in system design. The research identifies opportunities for change through addressing tensions between technological efficiency and participatory inclusion, requiring accountability to be built into system design rather than added afterwards. The study proposes pathways for hybrid digital-analogue integration that ensures digital tools amplify rather than replace offline participation mechanisms, alongside context-responsive approaches that enable meaningful citizen voice in system design decisions.
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