Dlamini, Luke Mhlonishwa2025-03-112024Dlamini, Luke Mhlonishwa. (2024). Digitalisation of government services for service delivery: Case of The City of Ekurhuleni [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg].WireDSspace.https://hdl.handle.net/10539/44221https://hdl.handle.net/10539/44221A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Digital Business to the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024The implementation of digital solutions presents numerous opportunities for both private and public organizations, aiming to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and gain competitive advantage. While the private sector has already embraced digitalisation, the public sector has lagged in adopting technology. This study aims to highlight the benefits of digitalisation, identify the challenges hindering its adoption, and propose a framework for its implementation. Digitalisation is viewed as a means to enhance agility within organizations. South African municipalities and the public sector have faced widespread criticism from citizens regarding inefficiency and ineffectiveness. Therefore, many of these entities have initiated efforts to automate their services to enhance service delivery. Automating services and systems could have addressed criticisms of poor service delivery. However, this effort is hindered by unstable and unreliable networks, as well as a shortage of experienced personnel to oversee the digitalisation process. Consequently, South African municipalities often outsource many of their services to third-party companies through professional services to overcome these challenges. Despite the well-documented benefits of outsourcing digitalisation services, municipalities lack guidance on how to do so successfully. Insufficient research has been conducted on this emerging trend of digitalisation. Thus, this study aimed to formulate a model for the implementation of digitalisation in the city of Ekurhuleni. Employing a qualitative approach, data was gathered from the city's ICT department. Subsequently, qualitative analysis was conducted on the data obtained from middle and senior management. The findings revealed that organizational factors, either collectively or individually, exert a significant influence on the adoption of digitalisation. The analysis revealed that technological factors, including innovation characteristics and organizational readiness for technology, are significant determinants of digitalisation adoption. Environmental factors were also identified as influential in this regard. This study addresses the lack of literature on digitalisation adoption in municipalities and proposes a model that can guide further research in this area. Additionally, the developed model can inform decision-making processes regarding digitalisation adoption in government. Other cities can utilize this model to inform their own digitalisation strategies, thereby making a valuable contribution to practice and management.en© 2025 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.DigitalisationService deliveryDigitizationInfrastructureNetworkDigital divideInformation and communication technologyUCTDSDG-8: Decent work and economic growthDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg