> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dpisafeguards.gitbook.io/resources-hub/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dpisafeguards.gitbook.io/resources-hub/country-implementation/south-africa.md).

# South Africa

*As of August 2026.*

## At a glance

<table><thead><tr><th width="210">​</th><th>​</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>DPI system</strong></td><td>MyMzansi, connecting digital identity, data exchange, payments and services into one route to government services</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Lead institution</strong></td><td>Digital Service Unit, The Presidency, with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and the National Treasury</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Current stage</strong></td><td>Piloting, with the federated data exchange and service prototype in testing</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Safeguards focus</strong></td><td>Safeguards embedded in design from the outset, with data minimisation, consent, and inclusive access</td></tr></tbody></table>

## The problem

South Africa is building integrated digital public infrastructure that connects digital identity, data exchange, payments and services into a single system for accessing government services. Integration of that kind concentrates risk. A unified route to services can mean a central store of personal data, and a digital front door can shut out anyone without a device, data, or the confidence to use one.

South Africa's response was to make those choices upfront rather than retrofit protections later, committing to the Universal DPI Safeguards alongside open standards and digital public goods principles, and testing the result through real service delivery in the social protection ecosystem.

## The journey

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### Commit

In September 2025, the nominees of the Inter-Departmental Working Group committed to adopting the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework in the design and implementation of the Roadmap for the Digital Transformation of Government. The commitment was signed by the Digital Services Unit in The Presidency.

The commitment covers four undertakings: adopt the relevant principles at the appropriate life cycle stages, sustain multi-stakeholder engagement including civil society, build the capacity of officials to respond to risks including through redress mechanisms, and enable ecosystem innovation on public infrastructure.

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{% step %}

### Build the governance

Delivery runs on three tiers, each with a distinct job.

* **Inter-Ministerial Committee**, for political oversight.
* **Inter-Departmental Working Group** and its workstreams, for coordination across government.
* **Digital Service Unit** in The Presidency, to lead implementation and support departments in deploying DPI safely.

Alongside the structure, South Africa committed to open standards, digital public goods principles, and open-source technologies, so that interoperability, transparency, and reuse are properties of the system rather than later additions.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Design and pilot

Two builds put the commitments into architecture.

**MzansiXchange** is a federated data exchange pilot. Departments share data on a consent basis with full auditability, while data ownership stays where it is. The federated model is a deliberate choice to avoid centralised storage, which removes the single large target that a unified system would otherwise create.

**MyMzansi** is the service layer built on modular, reusable components and open standards, so services can scale and interoperate without being rebuilt each time.

Inclusion was designed in rather than tested for: zero-rated access so cost is not a barrier, support for non-digital channels for people who cannot or will not use a device, and accessible user experiences.
{% endstep %}

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### Ground it in real users

Design was checked against lived experience through empathy sessions with SASSA beneficiaries, the people who depend on social protection payments, and through a co-design event with technology professionals and organisations at the DPI Summit.
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### Open it to civil society

A DPI safeguards workshop with civil society organisations built shared understanding of the risks and the safeguards in place. South Africa is now formalising more structured engagement following those initial consultations.

The approach is also being shared outward, through the 50-in-5 campaign and the Global DPI Summit.
{% endstep %}
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## Results so far

* **Governance operating at three levels.** The Inter-Ministerial Committee, the Inter-Departmental Working Group, and the Digital Service Unit are established and running.
* **A federated data exchange in pilot.** MzansiXchange tests consent-based, auditable sharing across departments without centralising data.
* **A working service prototype.** MyMzansi is built from reusable components on open standards.
* **Design grounded in users.** Empathy sessions with SASSA beneficiaries and a co-design event at the DPI Summit fed directly into delivery.
* **Civil society engaged.** A safeguards workshop has run, with structured engagement being formalised.

## Resources

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* [Universal DPI Safeguards Framework](https://www.dpi-safeguards.org/framework-visualization), the standard being applied
* [Governance Assessment Framework for Data Exchange Systems](https://governance4dataexchange.org/), relevant to the MzansiXchange model
* [Digital Legal ID Governance Framework](https://www.governance4id.org/), for the identity component


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