Navigating Digital Change during COVID-19: The Role of Leadership in Southern African Parliaments

The COVID-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge to governance institutions worldwide, compelling parliaments to rapidly shift from traditional processes to digital operations. In Southern Africa, this transition highlighted the critical role of leadership in enabling digital transformation under pressure. This study investigates how digital leaders within Southern African Development Community (SADC) parliaments navigated the complexities of this shift, including infrastructural limitations, outdated policies, limited budgets, and varying levels of digital literacy. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through focus group discussions with 23 digital leaders from 13 national parliaments and one regional parliamentary body. The Digital Transformation Leadership Framework guided the analysis, focusing on leadership elements such as strategic vision, change management, stakeholder engagement, and innovation. The findings reveal that digital transformation was not solely a technological process but a leadership-driven effort. Leaders played a pivotal role in policy adaptation, fostering innovation, securing resources, supporting capacity building, and repositioning ICT departments as strategic actors. Notably, the creation of ICT committees, digital champions among parliamentary leadership, and regional collaboration initiatives contributed to more resilient and inclusive governance models. The study concludes that strong, adaptive leadership is essential for successful digital transformation in parliaments—especially during times of crisis. It recommends institutionalizing digital leadership roles and aligning national ICT strategies with regional frameworks to ensure long-term digital governance resilience across the SADC region.