Background: The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is being touted as having the capacity to lift South Africa out of the challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequitable distribution of wealth. However, the state of the country’s readiness for the enabling technologies of the 4IR is in question.Objective: This article sought to investigate South Africa’s state of readiness for the technologies that enable the 4IR. The article proposed a framework which can be used to measure the country’s level of preparedness and implement the necessary processes to move the country into the 4IR era.Method: A detailed analysis of literature was carried out on the current and futuristic technologies employed by developed countries as they moved towards the 4IR. The fit – viability and the task – technology theories were employed to propose a framework to government for measuring its state of readiness for the 4IR in South Africa.Results: Based on findings from the literature study, the article proposed the 4IR readiness framework for government to measure and subsequently plans its response to the advent of 4IR technologies in the country.Conclusion: The framework revealed that South Africa has low technological capability, plummeting economic complexity and a fall in digital technological readiness. There is also a dearth of skilled workforce and technological infrastructure. It was recommended that government should focus on building and strengthening the resilience of both public and private institutions, investment in relevant 4IR education, infrastructural improvement, and promulgation and enforcement of legal framework to ensure security and privacy of data.

The use of Information Systems (IS) of acceptable quality has been viewed to be vital for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations. Many SMEs in developing countries are beginning to embrace the use of IS to help improve their competitiveness. This venture, however, has not yielded the much anticipated benefits for many of these SMEs. For this reason, a number SMEs in developing countries have ended up dissatisfied with their IS investments. A considerable percentage IS solutions used within the SMEs in developing countries are inefficient and ineffective in helping meet the unique needs of the SMEs. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study into the quality of IS used within SMEs in Eldoret town, situated in Kenya. The study employs a qualitative research methodology with multiple case studies of seven SMEs. The results of the study indicate that the SMEs that participated in the study use IS solutions that were of unacceptable quality. The study further identifies factors that are responsible for this poor quality of IS and recommends actions that can be taken to improve the quality of IS within the SMEs.

Background: There are different uses of data in an organisation. Data are required for reporting purposes, decision-making and providing access to vital facts to enable work processes across business units. Data are central to an organisation's capacity in anchoring fiscal and strategic plans on valid, accurate and current facts, and are also a vital element in an organisation's capacity to meet legal, compliance and risk management requirements. To ensure sound decision-making, data must be treated as an asset within organisations, with sound data governance principles entrenched and employed for data handling from inception to deletion.Objectives: This article proposes a Data Governance Maturity Evaluation Model for government departments of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Method:The methodology for this study is Design Science. The Design Science Process Model, was followed in the development, design and demonstration, and evaluation and communication of the data governance framework. A sequential exploratory mixed-method approach was used for data collection and analysis.Results: A conceptual data governance maturity model was proposed for government departments of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The model was tested through an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach of data collection and analysis. Data were collected from four departments. Conclusion:The results of the survey confirm the applicability of the model in the set context and reinforced the findings from the literature that maturity models can be used to improve or enhance data governance in public enterprises.