From Governance to Ground-Level Outcomes: How Corporate Governance of Information Systems Shapes Public-Sector Service Delivery in South Africa

Corporate governance of information systems (IS) is institutionalized across most parts of the public sector in South Africa, yet its practical implications for service delivery remain underexplored. Previous ICT governance literature has primarily focused on governance systems, institutional limitation, procurement infrastructure, and leadership agency. This paper shifts the focus to the service-delivery implications of IS governance. The study draws on qualitative data from 55 Government Information Technology Officers (GITOs) across national, provincial, and local government to examine how governance arrangements affect service timeliness, system reliability, organizational adoption, and operational continuity. The findings suggest that IS governance functions as an indirect conditioning factor shaping service delivery, particularly through delays in implementation, compliance-driven processes, and uneven institutional capability. At the same time, well-implemented and embedded governance practices can facilitate greater service stability and coordination. By linking ICT governance to tangible service delivery outcomes, the article contributes a downstream perspective to information systems governance research in developing-country context.

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