By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
South Africa’s Minister of
Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has called for stronger
digital sovereignty, interoperability and institutional accountability as the
country seeks to translate its national digital transformation ambitions into
measurable outcomes.
Malatsi made the call while
delivering the opening address at GovTech 2026 at the Durban International
Convention Centre, where he outlined South Africa’s national digital
sovereignty agenda and the need to move from vision to delivery.
The Minister emphasised the
importance of building a digitally capable state that protects citizens’
rights, strengthens digital infrastructure, enables innovation and improves the
delivery of public services.
“Technology is not our
destiny; our choices are. It is my wish that emerging out of here, we will make
better choices for the benefit of our country’s digital transformation
journey,” Malatsi said.
He also called for stronger
interoperability across government systems to enable public institutions to
work more effectively and deliver services through connected digital platforms.
Malatsi further stressed the
need for greater institutional accountability and the development of sovereign
digital capabilities that can strengthen South Africa’s position in the global
digital economy.
