THE EFFECTIVITY OF TECHNOLOGY AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL IN LOCAL MUNICIPALITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
THE EFFECTIVITY OF TECHNOLOGY AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL IN LOCAL MUNICIPALITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Summary/Abstract: Over the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of internet and information technology, which has influenced various government departments to shift their traditional strategies of communication to digital methods of communication. The emergence of technological advancements improves the communication in the local government sphere. The problem of delayed communication between municipalities and its residents. This paper sought to investigate the role played by technology in enhancing communication between King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality with its residents. To showcase the impact played by technology on issues of local government, the open systems theory was utilised as a theoretical foundation of this paper. The literature indicated that technology plays a fundamental role in the communication process between local government and its stakeholders. Studies conducted in this research area revealed that technology plays a pivotal role in the dissemination of public information to the residents. 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 96 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 90 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 study found that technology is not fully utilised as a communication tool between the municipality and the residents. The study revealed that traditional and modern ways of communication are integrated by the municipality to communicate with the residents. The study concluded that technological advancements must be exploited by the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality to improve communication with its residents. The paper further recommended that new software applications must be developed by the municipality to improve communication with the residents.

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