GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS

Government-to-Business (G2B) is the Cinderella of South Africa’s e-government evolution. The private sector needs to engage with government on primarily two fronts: regulatory compliance, and as suppliers of goods and services to government. Unfortunately, the lack of online interaction is a hindrance. Enterprises – particularly emerging small businesses – are overwhelmed with bureaucratic paperwork that squanders economically productive time. They cry out for a technologybased lifeline that will enable them to interact more efficiently with government at all levels. Apart from the hyper-efficient South African Revenue Services (SARS) that appreciates the value of making it easier for citizens and business to pay their dues to the state, and the Department of Labour’s online UIF forms and employment equity reporting, the majority of government departments appear to be dragging their heels when it comes to making it less of a hassle for the private sector to do business with them.