The government’s procurement failures have been well documented. Manual systems, fragmented oversight and weak enforcement allowed commitments to pile up long after budgets were exhausted. The government’s response is to automate discipline.
Cabinet approved the National e-Procurement Strategy in June 2025, setting out a roadmap to replace manual processes with a fully digital system. Implementation is under way, with full operation expected before the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
Once complete, the system is expected to “significantly strengthen governance, restore transparency, integrity, enhance efficiency and value for money across the entire public procurement cycle,” Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe said.
The e-procurement push complements the centralisation of GPOs, which has already delivered dramatic savings. The aim is to make those savings permanent by embedding discipline into code rather than relying on circulars.
The appeal of technology is obvious. Software enforces rules without discretion, records every transaction, and limits opportunities for abuse. In a system where human oversight failed, algorithms promise consistency.
The e-procurement push complements the centralisation of GPOs, which has already delivered dramatic savings. The aim is to make those savings permanent by embedding discipline into code rather than relying on circulars.
But technology is not a panacea. Without institutional capacity and political will, digital systems can be bypassed or underused. The government insists this time will be different, framing e-procurement as part of a broader governance reform that includes revisions to the Public Procurement Act and the Public Finance Management Act.
