An Evaluation of a Donor Funded Information and Communication Technology Centre in a South Africa Indigenous Community: Reflections on the Bhamshela Telecentre

Abstract

This study investigated the role of donors in the establishment, implementation and sustainability of information and communication technology centres in indigenous communities. This was achieved by looking at success factors and challenges experienced at the Bhamshela donor-funded telecentre in South Africa. The objectives of the study included determining the mission of the telecentre, identifying the services offered, the factors that affected the use and non use of services and identifying challenges that the telecentre encountered in the course of providing services to its users. The study used both secondary and primary sources of data. The population of the study consisted of senior representatives of the organisation that facilitated financial and technical support to the telecentre. The study showed that the success of the telecentre enterprise in indigenous communities can only scale up if donors comprehensively review the current implementation and management model for these initiatives, taking into account the diverse political and socioeconomic realities existing in different communities.