South Africa does not lack technology, policy or ambition. The real opportunity is to ensure that these assets translate into stronger institutions, more resilient public services and better outcomes for citizens.

By Nkuli Mbundu, Managing Executive: Public Sector, BCX

Technology alone cannot do that. AI cannot solve unclear accountability; cloud cannot create resilience if it is treated simply as infrastructure, and no platform, however sophisticated, can deliver lasting public value without the right governance, people and processes around it.

If we want technology to materially strengthen the public sector, I believe four things matter:

• Governance must move at the speed of technology: as technology becomes more deeply embedded in public services, governance cannot be something applied after the fact. Accountability, oversight and clear decision-making must be designed into how technology is selected, implemented and managed.
• Cyber resilience must become a leadership responsibility: cybersecurity is no longer only an IT issue. When public systems are disrupted, the consequences are operational and, ultimately, human. Protecting critical services, therefore, must be part of the leadership agenda.
• AI must solve real South African problems: the opportunity is not to adopt AI because the world is talking about it. It is to apply it deliberately where it can help institutions work better — from healthcare and administration to citizen services — supported by trusted data, appropriate safeguards and local context.
• Technology investment must be judged by the value it creates over time: the cheapest solution today is not necessarily the solution that will serve an institution tomorrow. We need to think beyond acquisition towards resilience, interoperability, security, capability and long-term public value.

This is where I believe the conversation about technology in government needs to go: not towards technology for technology’s sake but towards stronger institutions enabled by technology.

At BCX, our role is to bring the capability, experience and discipline to help public-sector institutions build environments that are resilient, secure and equipped to serve.

South Africa does not need technology to lead government. We need strong institutions that know how to make technology work for South Africans.

Nkuli Mbundu is Managing Executive: Public Sector at BCX, with more than 25 years of leadership experience across technology, business and government. Drawing on senior ICT leadership roles and direct experience in local government, he focuses on how digital governance, accountable leadership and technology can strengthen public institutions and improve outcomes for citizens.