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Since the first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa in 2020, public participation in municipalities took a knock as COVID-19 regulations prohibited large crowds from gathering. Because the Matjhabeng local municipality's valuation roll was about to be renewed, this became a major point of contention. As a result, this article investigated how Matjhabeng local municipality conducted public participation to comply with the law during the pandemic. The study is primarily quantitative, but qualitative aspects are also included. According to the findings, the municipality failed to use other platforms to ensure that no one was left behind while drafting the rates policy. As a result, it is suggested that the use of m-government in Matjhabeng local municipality is necessary for public participation during COVID-19 and beyond.

Governments are diligently striving to attain sustainable development objectives.  The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, in Chapter Two, section 27, states that “everyone has the right to health services, water, adequate food, and social security.”  These constitutional obligations have established the archetypal local government, described as a governmental entity that upholds the principles of democracy, accountability, transparency, and inclusivity while effectively and efficiently addressing the needs and interests of its community.  Nevertheless, the government encounters numerous obstacles in realising an optimal local governance structure.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is prompting the government to reevaluate its operations.  This study aimed to examine how optimal local governance may be attained through the fourth industrial revolution, emphasising the role of citizens.  The research employed technological determinism theory as its theoretical foundation.   The study's findings indicate that the Fourth Industrial Revolution enhanced citizen transparency, involvement, and participation in municipal government institutions.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution facilitates the implementation of e-government systems to tackle existing developmental challenges.  The primary challenge confronting South Africa is the lack of sufficient sustainable resources, encompassing digital illiteracy and inadequate infrastructure support.  The report advocates for the critical necessity of investing in skill development and a telecommunications infrastructure that promotes openness and transparency within the socio-institutional aspect of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  The study provides a structured framework that enhances efficiency, transparency, and service delivery by addressing the challenges of digital transition.  It retains contextual relevance to South African towns while drawing from worldwide best practices and delineates essential implementation processes, funding sources, and capacity-building activities for government workers.  The findings contribute to the discourse on the modernisation of the public sector and digital governance.

The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution has seen governments around the world seeking new ways of delivering services to the people. The infusion of technological aspects in governance seeks to enhance service delivery in the public sector. This paper sought to investigate the role played by technology in facilitating service delivery to the people. To showcase the impact played by technology on issues of local government, the diffusion of innovation theory was utilised as a theoretical foundation of this paper. The literature indicated that technology plays a fundamental role in the service delivery process. Studies conducted in this research area revealed that technology plays a pivotal role in the dissemination of public services to the residents by municipalities. This paper adopted a mixed method approach and a case study research design. The quantitative data was collected through closed ended questionnaires while the qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. This paper sampled a total of 36 participants in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality through simple random sampling technique in the few selected different wards of the municipality. The closed ended questionnaires were distributed to 30 participants while 6 municipal officials were interviewed. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS while the qualitative data was analysed through a thematic approach. The findings of this paper revealed that King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality appreciates and embraces the technological reforms. A significant percentage of the respondents further indicated that King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is average in terms of utilising technology in terms of service delivery. The study further concluded that municipalities must improve and adopt the technological advancements that are present in the public sector. The study also concluded that municipalities cannot turn a blind eye to the ever-changing environment and thus need to improve service delivery through the introduction of technology. This paper thus recommends that technological changes be adopted to improve service delivery within local government. It further recommends that technology should be exploited to fast-track service delivery.

Governments are diligently striving to attain sustainable development objectives.  The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, in Chapter Two, section 27, states that “everyone has the right to health services, water, adequate food, and social security.”  These constitutional obligations have established the archetypal local government, described as a governmental entity that upholds the principles of democracy, accountability, transparency, and inclusivity while effectively and efficiently addressing the needs and interests of its community.  Nevertheless, the government encounters numerous obstacles in realising an optimal local governance structure.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is prompting the government to reevaluate its operations.  This study aimed to examine how optimal local governance may be attained through the fourth industrial revolution, emphasising the role of citizens.  The research employed technological determinism theory as its theoretical foundation.   The study's findings indicate that the Fourth Industrial Revolution enhanced citizen transparency, involvement, and participation in municipal government institutions.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution facilitates the implementation of e-government systems to tackle existing developmental challenges.  The primary challenge confronting South Africa is the lack of sufficient sustainable resources, encompassing digital illiteracy and inadequate infrastructure support.  The report advocates for the critical necessity of investing in skill development and a telecommunications infrastructure that promotes openness and transparency within the socio-institutional aspect of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  The study provides a structured framework that enhances efficiency, transparency, and service delivery by addressing the challenges of digital transition.  It retains contextual relevance to South African towns while drawing from worldwide best practices and delineates essential implementation processes, funding sources, and capacity-building activities for government workers.  The findings contribute to the discourse on the modernisation of the public sector and digital governance.

The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution has seen governments around the world seeking new ways of delivering services to the people. The infusion of technological aspects in governance seeks to enhance service delivery in the public sector. This paper sought to investigate the role played by technology in facilitating service delivery to the people. To showcase the impact played by technology on issues of local government, the diffusion of innovation theory was utilised as a theoretical foundation of this paper. The literature indicated that technology plays a fundamental role in the service delivery process. Studies conducted in this research area revealed that technology plays a pivotal role in the dissemination of public services to the residents by municipalities. This paper adopted a mixed method approach and a case study research design. The quantitative data was collected through closed ended questionnaires while the qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. This paper sampled a total of 36 participants in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality through simple random sampling technique in the few selected different wards of the municipality. The closed ended questionnaires were distributed to 30 participants while 6 municipal officials were interviewed. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS while the qualitative data was analysed through a thematic approach. The findings of this paper revealed that King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality appreciates and embraces the technological reforms. A significant percentage of the respondents further indicated that King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is average in terms of utilising technology in terms of service delivery. The study further concluded that municipalities must improve and adopt the technological advancements that are present in the public sector. The study also concluded that municipalities cannot turn a blind eye to the ever-changing environment and thus need to improve service delivery through the introduction of technology. This paper thus recommends that technological changes be adopted to improve service delivery within local government. It further recommends that technology should be exploited to fast-track service delivery.

Since the first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa in 2020, public participation in municipalities took a knock as COVID-19 regulations prohibited large crowds from gathering. Because the Matjhabeng local municipality's valuation roll was about to be renewed, this became a major point of contention. As a result, this article investigated how Matjhabeng local municipality conducted public participation to comply with the law during the pandemic. The study is primarily quantitative, but qualitative aspects are also included. According to the findings, the municipality failed to use other platforms to ensure that no one was left behind while drafting the rates policy. As a result, it is suggested that the use of m-government in Matjhabeng local municipality is necessary for public participation during COVID-19 and beyond.