A Framework for Digital Transformation of SMEs in South Africa (DTF4SMEs)

Authors

Jeetesh Seecharan, UNISA, South Africa

Ronell Van Der Merwe, UNISA, South Africa

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/tbc

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up about 90% of businesses in the South African economy, and their profitability and sustainability have a significant impact on overall economic growth. The rapid development of digital technology offers SMEs opportunities to improve competitiveness and efficiency. Following design science research (DSR) methodology and guided by the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework, the study aimed to answer the research question (RQ) "What are the key factors that should be considered in designing a framework to enable and guide the Digital Transformation (DT) of South African SMEs?" Through a literature review, essential components and DT challenges were identified and used to develop a first-stage framework (FSF), which was validated through interviews with SME manufacturers in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. The feedback was used to refine and update the FSF. As a practical contribution, this study proposes a Digital Transformation framework for SMEs (DTF4SMEs) that includes guidelines for strategic planning, technological integration, financial initiatives, and competency enhancement. with recommendations for policymakers, industry leaders, and SME owners. As a theoretical contribution, we address research challenges unique to South Africa, including socio-economic factors, infrastructure limitations, and regulatory complexities.

Keywords

Digital Transformation; Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; Digital Technologies; Digital Strategy; Framework Components; South Africa; Design Science Research; Technology-Organisation-Environment Framework

Cite this paper

J. Seecharan and R. Van Der Merwe (2026) "A Framework for Digital Transformation of SMEs in South Africa (DTF4SMEs)", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/tbc

Access Paper

Click here to access this paper.

IST-Africa Community Members can download papers by logging into their existing account.

If you wish to become a member of IST-Africa Community, pleaseregister your profile and you will then receive login details which you can use to access the papers.

Access to papers in the IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings is for INDIVIDUAL USE only. Neither the Conference Proceedings (or individual double blind peer reviewed papers) are to be included in any public or institutional repository or processed in the context of any AI tool or large language model without prior written permission from the Publishers.

While the IST-Africa Institute and IIMC retain copyright of the Conference Proceedings, each author retains copyright to their individual paper. No paper or part thereof may be reproduced without the written permission of both the Conference Proceedings Publishers and appropriate author(s).