Adopting e-participation in local governance has emerged as a promising approach to enhance transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in government decision making processes. In South Africa, this digital transformation aligns with the Batho Pele (“People First”) principles, which place citizens at the centre of public service delivery. These principles, emphasising consultation, transparency, and accountability, provide a crucial framework for building trust and fostering collaboration between municipalities and citizens in the digital age. They are valuable normative instruments for implementing good governance in public service delivery. Alignment with the principles helps local government fulfil its mandate of serving citizens while maintaining high governance standards. Digitally enabled approaches to governance are seen as critical for realising these objectives in the South African context but also in other parts of the continent where strides have been made towards making e-governance a reality.
