Extent of Access to Information and Communications Technology by the Rural Population of South Africa

Abstract

This paper investigates the trends in access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in rural compared to the urban areas of South Africa. Using data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) covering the period from 2003 to 2009, the study found that access to both the ‘older’ and the ‘newer’ forms of ICTs has remained significantly lower (P < 0.001) in rural areas compared to urban areas. The paper then examines these trends in the context of the Department of Science and Technology's (DST) policies and strategies on the diffusion of science and technology in South Africa.

Keywords:

• ICT
• Digital media
• Digital divide
• Disparities
• Diffusion
• Rural South Africa

Notes

Samples were selected based on the Census data provided by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).  Stats SA classifies settlement according to the characteristics of a residential population in terms of urban and rural (www.statssa.gov.za). For instance, settlements may be planned or unplanned by the government in the case of urban areas, whereas, jurisdiction of chiefdom decides on the settlement in the case of rural areas. The four broad settlement types found in South Africa are: (1) formal urban areas; (2) informal urban areas; (3) commercial farms; (d) traditional or tribal areas and rural informal settlements. Most specifically, urban areas in the surveys were classified based on dominant settlement type and land use. Cities, towns, townships and suburbs in the surveys are typical urban settlements. Enumerator areas comprising informal settlements, hostels, institutions, industrial and recreational areas, and smallholdings within or adjacent to any formal urban settlement are also classified as urban. It should be noted that any area that was not classified as urban was termed rural. These areas included: tribal areas and commercial farms.