Many countries worldwide are constantly creating exciting ways in which to use the Internet. South Africa (SA) is no exception. The SA government has launched an e-government policy which is aimed at creating a government that works better, costs less and is results-driven. It is clear that the reinvention of the SA government is tied to the proliferation of the Internet. The Internet is perceived as an instrument to enhance service delivery performance in the South African public service. The internet is also perceived as an essential tool to ‘catch-up’ to the information age of the developed world and to close the digital gap in SA.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of internet usage in South Africa. It also considers development arising from the internet usage in SA. This paper does not attempt to provide a synoptic overview of all internet initiatives in SA. Instead it mainly provides a snapshot of recent key internet initiatives in SA. Against this background, a qualitative analysis is used.