As digital transformation shifts from aspiration to essential, public access to government information must be seamless, inclusive, and intuitive. However, in South Africa, the digital interface between citizens and the state, particularly through government and departmental websites, remains filled with poor design, outdated infrastructure, and significant usability challenges. This poses a critical threat to democratic transparency, service delivery, and digital equity.
The State of South African Government Websites
Despite significant investment in e-government initiatives, such as the e-Government Strategy (2017–2021), many South African government websites fail to meet even the most basic standards of digital usability and accessibility. A quick analysis of key departmental sites (e.g., www.gov.za, Department of Home Affairs, and provincial portals) reveals several systemic issues:
Outdated Design Frameworks: Many websites appear to have been designed more than a decade ago, with minimal updates to layout or information architecture.
Broken Links and Redirection Errors: Users frequently encounter 404 errors, dead links, or redirects to irrelevant content.
Inconsistent Navigation Structures: There is a lack of standardisation across departments, making it difficult for users to locate services or documents without extensive trial and error.
Low Mobile Responsiveness: In a country where 78% of internet users rely primarily on mobile devices, this is a critical oversight.
Non-compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): Many websites do not cater to users with disabilities, undermining constitutional commitments to equality (Section 9, Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996).
Design and the Right to Information
Access to public information is not merely a convenience, it is a constitutional right enshrined in Section 32 of the South African Constitution. The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) further mandates state institutions to ensure accessible public records. When websites are poorly designed, inaccessible, or confusing, they violate this mandate in practice, if not in law.
This digital inaccessibility disproportionately affects marginalised groups: rural communities, older people, people with disabilities, and those with limited digital literacy. For these groups, a poorly functioning website is not an inconvenience—it is a barrier to healthcare access, job opportunities, legal rights, and social services.
Consequences for Service Delivery
Poor web design also undermines service delivery. The migration of services such as ID applications, grant registrations, and UIF claims to online platforms assumes digital competence, internet access, and functional platforms. However, restrictions caused by disorganised content and unintuitive interfaces often result in confusion, delays, and public mistrust.
Inconsistent branding and lack of coherent user journeys can also result in citizens unknowingly engaging with fraudulent or mirror websites—a growing cybersecurity risk.
A Call for Human-Centred Digital Design
Government websites are not just informational repositories; they are digital service delivery tools that must reflect the principles of human-centred design that require the following reforms:
Adoption of UX/UI Design Best Practices: Including clear navigation, consistent visual hierarchy, and user testing.
Responsive and Mobile-First Design: Ensuring compatibility across all devices and screen sizes.
Implementation of Accessibility Standards: Full compliance with WCAG 2.1 and integration of assistive technologies.
Centralised Design Frameworks: A unified digital style guide for all government portals to ensure cohesion and familiarity.
Community-Led Design Audits: Incorporating feedback from actual users—particularly from underserved communities.
In democratic societies, access to government information must not depend on one’s ability to decipher outdated web interfaces. South Africa’s digital future must be inclusive, intuitive, and intentionally designed. Design is political, and that ethical design can be a vehicle for justice. If government websites continue to exclude, confuse, or alienate citizens, they will only worsen existing inequalities, digitally entrenching the very marginalisation they are meant to overcome.
It is time to demand more from digital governance. The tools exist. The expertise exists. What remains is the political will, and the design foresight, to place citizens at the centre of their own democracy.
