South Africans living in the rural areas should be included in the use of digital technology just like their counterparts in the urban centres who have embraced the “digital revolution”, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
In an address during the opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said this when he said Covid-19 has forced the country to rely on technology to communicate the fight against the pandemic.
“We have adopted new ways of working, new ways of doing things (since the pandemic),” Ramaphosa said, adding that the country has also adopted technology processes “that enable us to be able to meet rather cost-effectively, to carry on doing the work that needs to be done.”
He added: “And it is in this regard that some of the more important economic recovery processes such as the digital revolution that must take place in our country also needs to be focused on rural communities.”
He bemoaned the fact that the private sector tends to focus only on the urban areas, and called for a partnership between the government, traditional leaders, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders in addressing the challenges facing the country.
“We have demonstrated over the past year that, when we work together, we can achieve more,” he said.
NM/jn/APA