Enhancing procedural fairness in administrative action of the Administrative Justice Act of South Africa using web - based Group Support Systems

Hossana Twinomurinzi
Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria

Jackie Phahlamohlaka
Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria

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     Last modified: May 17, 2005

Abstract
The Government of the Republic of South Africa is committed to establishing a society grounded on democratic ideals, social fairness and fundamental human rights. For this to happen, any decisions to be taken by the government need to be justified, or that for decisions that have been taken, an explanation is made to the affected people if requested. This fundamental human right, promulgated in the Promotion of the Administrative Justice Act No 3 of 2000 (AJA), is one of the primary policies that the government aims to use to achieve greater democratic governance with regard to social equality and respect for the people. In this research article, we focus on using web-based Group Support Systems (GSS) to enhance procedural fairness in administrative action of the AJA. We review the context of the research and important programs by the government, along with its use of information and communication technology to get closer to and empower the people. Considering the social focus of the research, qualitative data was collected over a period of five months using action research, case studies, exploratory field studies, observations and participant observations, semi-structured interviews and electronic logs. Using an interpretive approach, the analysis reveals that web-based GSS enhanced procedural fairness in administrative action and increased satisfaction albeit, there are issues such as the effect of computer literacy and the perception about government. Along with a comparative analysis of a Brazilian and Indian e-Government case studies, we propose a model on how web-based GSS could enhance procedurally fair administrative action.