Best of Johannesburg

South Africa Is Still Spending Millions on Digital Projects That Never Deliver

Published

49 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Chiraag

South Africa digital failure, cancelled ICT projects, broadband rollout delays, digital divide communities, technology waste South Africa, government spending failure, Joburg ETC

The same story, new year: why digital dreams keep dying

You would think that in 2025, after years of promises, South Africa would be thriving with digital access in schools, health facilities, and communities that have waited for ages to be connected. Instead, the country keeps cancelling or delaying expensive digital projects that were meant to modernise everything from clinics to government systems. It keeps happening even after millions have already been spent.

People are frustrated, wondering why major projects fail again and again while service delivery continues to suffer.

When leadership keeps changing, progress falls apart

For any long-term project to succeed, you need continuity, strong decision-makers, and accountability. South Africa has struggled with all three. Frequent leadership changes in key portfolios disrupt momentum. New decision-makers often scrap the old plans instead of improving them.

In the chaos, large projects lose direction. Oversight becomes weak, and departments struggle to track progress. By the time someone notices things are off course, money is already gone, and timelines have collapsed.

The price of bad procurement

Public sector technology spending is supposed to improve lives. Instead, it often ends up enriching service providers. South Africa has repeatedly spent huge amounts on systems that are too expensive for what they deliver or simply never work as intended.

The government sometimes purchases international systems that cost more than similar local solutions. Commercial negotiations are slow. The result is a system that drains budgets but never fully materialises. When a project eventually gets cancelled, the money can rarely be recovered.

Citizens ask a fair question: if private companies can deliver technology on time and within budget, why can the government not do the same?

The missing people behind the technology

Technology alone is not a solution. It needs people who can run, maintain, and improve it. South Africa has a shortage of digital skills in the public sector. Skilled IT and cybersecurity workers are hard to hire and even harder to keep because government salaries cannot compete with the private sector.

Some projects launch without proper training for the workers who must use the new system. Others are installed on top of ageing infrastructure that was never upgraded. These projects become expensive white elephants. They exist but do not work.

Reality on the ground: the human impact

Grand ideas about smart cities and digital government can sound exciting in a boardroom, but many communities still do not have basic connectivity. High data costs, weak infrastructure, and the digital divide leave millions excluded.

Schools that should have been connected remain offline. Clinics still rely on paper systems. People who need these services the most continue to wait.

Digital cancellation has real consequences. It keeps inequality in place.

With no accountability, history repeats itself

Perhaps the biggest problem is that failure comes with no consequences. Investigations drag on. Officials who approve disastrous projects often face no disciplinary action. Vendors who deliver poor work sometimes get rehired.

Without accountability, there is nothing to stop the same mistakes from happening again. It becomes normal to abandon a project halfway and move on as if nothing happened.

South Africans deserve better than this cycle of waste.

What can fix it in 2025

If South Africa hopes to succeed with digital transformation, a new approach is needed.

Clear and stable leadership. Honest procurement and stronger negotiating power. Smaller and more practical projects designed with community needs at the centre. Skilled people who can build and maintain systems. And above all, real accountability.

Technology is supposed to open doors. Better education. Better healthcare. Better job opportunities. For those promises to become reality, digital investment must finally match digital delivery.