Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed that National Treasury has allocated R150 million for the development of the MyMzansi app. Godongwana announced the allocation in his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Initially announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2025, the platform aims to provide South Africans with access to civic services on a single centralised digital platform.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi previously explained that MyMzansi would allow every South African, regardless of where they live in the country, to access all government services. As it is currently envisioned, South Africans will be able to access services such as applying for student bursaries or renewing vehicle licences on the MyMzansi app. The same platform will allow users to file digital police reports, request replacement matric certificates, or apply to take their learner’s licence test.
MyMzansi is expected to be completely zero-rated, meaning data consumption on the app will not deduct users’ data allocations, which would benefit South Africans in lower-income bands. The goal is for all services currently available through disparate government departments, both digital and through physical offices, to become accessible through MyMzansi. Linked to the app will be secure digital IDs, which are a project of the Department of Home Affairs, and a digital payment system being developed by the South African Reserve Bank.
“The essence of that is the establishment of a single digital identity for all South Africans through the MyMzansi app,” Malatsi said in September 2025. Malatsi demonstrated a prototype of the MyMzansi app during his opening address at the Global DPI Summit last year, showing how the driving licence renewal process would work. Earlier this month, Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber also demonstrated how digital IDs would work, showcasing a functional digital ID on the MyMzansi app. Digital IDs are expected to become fully available to all South Africans on the MyMzansi app sometime after 2030.
MyMzansi platform to cost taxpayers R150 million
The MyMzansi website previously contained more information about the planned system, including that it was an effort to modernise service delivery in South Africa. It drew inspiration from similar systems in countries such as India and Brazil and included a roadmap that outlined a framework for government departments to exchange data. “A data exchange framework will eradicate the side effects that exist in government, and allow for greater efficiency and coordination in how government operates,” added Malatsi previously. In recent months, the MyMzansi website was replaced by a single page, with most of the previously available information removed.
The website now indicates that “MyMzansi is coming soon” and that “A simpler way to connect with government is on the way.”
In his MTBP speech, Godongwana said the R150 million injection would go towards enhancing the technical capabilities of the digital services unit to lead the development of the MyMzansi app.
Godongwana also said that additional funds would be allocated to modernise other government departments and services.
That included funding allocated to enhance ICT infrastructure at the South African Revenue Service to strengthen its systems against cyberattacks. Godongwana said that the consolidated government expenditure was expected to increase by 3.6% per year, from R2.7 trillion to R3 trillion in the 2029/2030 financial year.
With reporting from My Broadband Trusted In Tech
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