Marketing Strategies for E-Government and E-Agriculture Services in South Africa

The government of South Africa (GSA) has embarked on a major program for e-service delivery. The Batho Pele Gateway Project is the access portal to government information and a key driver of the e-government transformation in South Africa. Although the GSA is determined to make e-government service delivery successful, the average citizen does not fully comprehend the key transformations driving government engagement with civil society and businesses. Therefore, the Cape Gateway Project (CGP) is confronted with the immense task to develop and implement a strategic marketing program for e-government by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) which is not only a portal, but also a call centre and walk-in centre. Various marketing tactics have been deployed, but their efficacy in elevating awareness levels and converting that to actual sustained use of e-government service delivery remains unknown. This chapter proposes an e-government marketing framework and uses CGP experience to examine communication and branding strategies for e-government in a South African context. Key challenges facing e-government market communication strategy are highlighted.