- South Africa’s digital reform in justice and social development is gaining momentum through collaboration across systems, law, and leadership.
- At the intersection of technology and human rights is the Integrated Justice System (IJS), ensuring digital progress is legally grounded and socially responsive.
- One of the key figures behind this transformation is Advocate Mandla Mathaphuna, whose work ensures that the rule of law and care for the vulnerable remain at the heart of the Department’s digital future.
Behind the scenes of South Africa’s digital transformation in justice and social development is a quiet force: the Integrated Justice System (IJS). Designed to connect departments across the criminal and social services value chain, the IJS is more than a technical upgrade, it is a vehicle for fair, lawful, and responsive service delivery.
Within the broader machinery of the Integrated Justice System, Advocate Mandla Mathaphuna plays a key role in ensuring that law remains at the centre of these digital innovations.
As a Legal Compliance Analyst, he works alongside technologists, programme managers, and policy experts to make sure that every system or platform developed under the IJS umbrella is constitutionally sound and policy-aligned.
“Legal certainty and compliance ensure the validity, and therefore the sustainability of services,” he explains. “Whether we’re implementing Victim Support Services or enforcing Trafficking in Persons legislation, the system must be lawful, resilient, and enduring.”
While many specialists contribute to the success of the IJS programme, Advocate Mathaphuna’s work ensures that the legal foundations of these innovations are strong, protective, and built to last.
With over two decades of legal and policy experience, Advocate Mathaphuna is not only shaping compliance within the IJS framework, he is helping the Department of Social Development (DSD) redefine how justice meets humanity in the digital age.
“Digital transformation is not about removing the human element,” he says. “It’s about enhancing our ability to care, to respond, and to protect—efficiently and lawfully.”
Yet the job is far from straightforward. Fragmented legal frameworks and shifting policy landscapes often complicate system design.
“There’s no single repository of laws that applies across all IJS sub-programmes. It makes the work complex, but also intellectually rewarding. Every gap we close reduces risk and strengthens the whole system.”
His role, however, is not just about analysis and alignment, it’s about outcomes.
“When a child in conflict with the law is safely diverted into care, or a survivor receives timely support, I see the value of our work in motion. That’s what keeps me going.”
The IMST Forum: A Mirror and a Milestone
At the 2025 DSD IMST Forum, where digital and information systems take centre stage, Mathaphuna found a rare opportunity to reflect not just on systems, but on strategy.
“The critical question is this: How are these systems being brought together to create a legally compliant and functionally relevant basket of social development services? From what we’ve seen, IMST plays a crucial role.”
Still, he cautions that coherence, both technical and legal is non-negotiable. “We need an updated ICT policy diagnosis—one that aligns line functions with system development. Compliance with constitutional and legislative mandates isn’t optional. It must be continuously reviewed and audited.”
A Constitutionally Anchored Future
For Mathaphuna, true transformation will be measured by how well the system protects society’s most vulnerable, especially children. “A fully realised, legally sound IJS must be anchored in the principle of the best interests of the child, as stated in Section 28(2) of the Constitution.”
He points to essential areas that require sustained legal and operational integration:
• The National Child Protection Register
• Diversion programmes under the Child Justice Act (75 of 2008)
• Support for children in conflict with the law
• Prohibition of child labour and substance abuse
These aren’t just policy obligations, they are moral ones. “The IJS Programme is guided by legislation and by the need to improve lives,” says Mr Unathi Ngumla, Senior Portfolio Manager for IJS.
“With this sentiment,” Mathaphuna adds, “I can only concur.”
