Ngcamu, Nkonzenhle2024-07-042024-07-042022Ngcamu, Nkonzenhle. (2022). The impact of ICT on rural communities in KwaZulu Natal [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38846https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38846A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022The importance of Information Communication and Technologies (ICT) as a driver of community development is increasing in South Africa, especially for the rural communities that have been neglected from technological infrastructure deployment. It is an urgent need for developing countries like South Africa to invest in ICTs in the rural areas to eradicate digital divide and to enable these communities to partake in the digital world. The main objective of this research study is to investigate the factors that impact the deployment of ICT infrastructure in the less dense communities of KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa. There are a number of factors that has an effect on the spread of ICT which then limits the rate of adoption of these technologies. Using Rogers’s three attributes of diffusion of innovation theory, relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity, to explore the rate of ICT adoption in rural communities. Data was collected at three district municipalities, King Cetshwayo, eThekwini, and iLembe through a survey. A total of 396 people participated in this study and then a critical data analysis was computed. It is found that relative advantage and complexity have a negative effect on adoption and compatibility has a positive impact on adoption. Though Mndzebele (2013) found that relative advantage has no relationship with adoption but (Marak et al., 2019) found it to be negatively significant. Complexity is found to be significant but with an inverse relationship to adoption of ICT. Previous researchers have found a similar output in regard to technological innovations (Fong, 2009; Ibrahim & Monsurat, 2015; Mndzebele, 2013). Also, the highest level of education and employment status are significant predictors of ICT adoption. On the other hand, age range and gender are insignificant predictors. The outcome of this study will assist ICT service providers with a developed framework they can use to successfully deploy infrastructure in these communitiesen© 2022 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.Information Communication and TechnologyDevelopmentInfrastructureRural communitiesRelative advantageCompatibilityComplexityAdoptionUCTDSDG-9: Industry, innovation and infrastructureDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg