South Africa is not just anticipating the digital revolution; it is living it. The writer interviewed Minister Buti Manamela ahead of his address before Parliament on Tuesday where he was expected to emphasise that digitisation is essential for shaping the future workforce and preventing youth unemployment.
South Africa is not waiting for the digital revolution – it is already living inside it.
That is the message Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela was expected to take to Parliament on Tuesday when he tables his Budget Vote speech, an address he says will be anchored in one central idea: digitisation is no longer optional; it is the backbone of the country’s future workforce.
In an interview ahead of the Budget Vote, Manamela was blunt about the scale of the transition. “The digital revolution is not approaching South Africa. It is already restructuring our economy, our workplaces, and our labour markets,” he said.
“Artificial intelligence, automation, and digital platforms are not abstract threats or distant possibilities – they are already reshaping call centres, logistics, mining, banking, manufacturing, retail, and even public administration,” he added.
