Digitization of South Africa’s social protection system undermines constitutional rights: Research

A working paper by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) has noted that the complete shift to digital for South Africa’s social protection system undermines citizens’ right to social security as provided for in Section 27 of the country’s constitution, as well as other advantages. This is despite South Africa having one of the strongest constitutional frameworks on the continent.

The finding is the outcome of research conducted on the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant scheme which provides monthly cash assistance to some categories of poor South Africans. The study is titled Beyond Digital Displacement: Accountability in South Africa’s Digitalized Social Protection System.

One of the recent innovations to the SRD grant system came in May with the introduction of face biometric verification for grant beneficiaries, but the system has faced criticisms from digital rights advocates over what they say is its exclusionary nature.

According to the research, the digitization process has created a dissonance between legal entitlement and practical access, an infringement on a right that is justiciable and operationalized through the Social Assistance Act (2004) which transforms social protection beneficiaries from passive recipients into rights-holders.

The researchers also found that design choices of the digital system prioritize aspects like efficiency and fraud-prevention over rights-based inclusion, which results in “systemic exclusion” of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, rural populations, women, people living with disabilities, and immigrants.

Going by the report, these exclusions, to a greater extent, are not technological glitches but design injustices that make citizens who are “right holders” appear as mere applicants locked out by algorithmic gatekeeping.

Per the research, several other problems are plaguing the SRD system which requires remedial attention. Among other things, these include issues like accountability displacement where grant beneficiaries cannot easily identify who is responsible when the system fails, ineffective grievance and redress mechanism, lack of meaningful citizen participation in the design of the system, Algorithmic and AI risks and harms, and other structural barriers.

In order to address these challenges, the research calls on the South African government to develop citizen engagement strategies such as strengthening capabilities including through digital literacy training, using a multi-actor co-design approach, and amplifying advocacy through digital tools.

It also proposes a digital-analog integration method to ensure that offline channels are not totally replaced but amplified, embed accountability mechanisms from the start and improve responsiveness to grievances, strengthen constitutional and legal safeguards such as codifying digital rights in social protection, and provide support for civil society as an entity that ensures accountability and community monitoring.

Meanwhile, the research also discusses the MyMzansi digital public infrastructure roadmap which the South African government is currently implementing, and describes it as a key driver of social protection digitalization in the country.

It hails the plan as “the most systematic governmental attempt to coordinate fragmented digital initiatives across departments” but however warns that the government is using a top-down approach without “adequately addressing citizen voice integration.”

The research was funded by the British Academy’s ODA Challenge-Oriented Research Grants 2024 Program, supported under the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  financial inclusion  |  social protection  |  social security  |  South Africa