TOPIC: IMPACT OF FOURTH

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN SA
GROUP MEMBERS :
MOKGELEDI KATLEHO
MODIBA J.N
SKHANYISO NKOSI
MOKOENA MPHO
OBAKENG MASILO
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION … (4-5)
 BODY ... (6-13)
 IMPACT OF FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN SA … (6)
 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF 4IR(FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION) …(7)
 NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF 4IR …(8)
 SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES NEEDED FOR 4IR …(9)
 FIXING THE LABOUR SKILLS MISMATCH …(10)
 THREATS THAT FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WILL BRING …(11)
 CONCLUSION …(12-13)
 INTRODUCTION
• What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the current and
developing environment in which disruptive technologies
and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics,
virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are
changing the way modern people live, learn and work.

• (4IR) is characterized by the fusion of the digital,

biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing
utilization of new technologies such as artificial
intelligence, cloud computing, robotic, 3D printing, the
IoT, and advanced wireless technologies, among others.
• The (4iR) In South Africa as compared to Europe and the United States
what kind of effects will it have now and in the future.
• In view of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will the fear that drive to the
“End of Work” wake up again
• A discussion on How will Automation and Digitisation a probable
“Creative disaster” has Now emerged in the series of studies .
 IMPACT OF FOURTH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN SA
• The impact on business - On the supply side, many industries are
seeing the introduction of new technologies that create entirely new ways of
serving existing needs and significantly disrupt existing industry value chains.
With increasing customer expectations, on product enhancement, collaborative
innovation, and on organizational forms forcing companies to adapt the way
they design, market, and deliver products and services.
• The impact on government –
As the physical, digital, and biological worlds continue to converge, new
technologies and platforms will increasingly enable citizens to engage with
governments, voice their opinions, coordinate their efforts, and even circumvent
the supervision of public authorities. 

Simultaneously, governments will gain new technological powers to increase

their control over populations, based on pervasive surveillance systems and the
ability to control digital infrastructure. 
• Impact on people – The 4IR changes not only what we do but also who
we are. It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense
of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we
devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our
skills, meet people, and nurture relationships. It is already changing our health
and leading to a “quantified” self, and sooner than we think it may lead to
human augmentation. The list is endless because it is bound only by our
imagination.
 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF 4IR(FOURTH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION)

• Higher productivity – due to increased automation.

• Improved QOL – new products and services that increases the efficiency and pleasure of our
personal lives.
• New markets – fusion of technologies will create new markets and growth opportunities
• Less entrepreneurial risks/restrictions – improved product testing methods and business
feasibility & viability check
•  increased human productivity – With technologies like AI and automation augmenting our
professional lives, we’re able to make smart choices, faster than ever before.
 NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF 4IR

• Inequality - It is all about who gets the benefits of these technologies and of the results they help produce. The reality is that the
largest beneficiaries tend to be the providers of intellectual and physical capital (shareholders, investors, and innovators).
Technology is one of the main reasons why incomes have stagnated, or even decreased, for a majority of the population in high-
income countries. The demand for highly skilled workers has increased while the demand for workers with less education and
lower skills has decreased. In some areas there are technological, infrastructure and skill challenges that are not easy to
overcome. 
• Cybersecurity risk - It challenges the very nature of identity and privacy, especially with the increased use of data analytics and
machine learning. When everything is connected, the risk of hacking data and tampering with it or using it for malicious intent is
now more prevalent.
• Core industries disruptions - We see this with the current market competitors. Taxis are competing with Uber and Lyft,
Traditional television and Cinema competes with Netflix and YouTube, The hotel industry with AirBnB and Any store is
competing against Amazon and TakeAlot. This has ramifications in the type of service being offered and the model and the
model through which they are offered as well as the jobs associated with them.
• Ethical issues - Data missuses. The risk of using it for personal gain and manipulation is even greater with improved AI, genetic
engineering, and increased automation, there are new ethical concerns and questions of morality that already differ greatly from
individual to individual. E.g. Facebook harvesting and selling its user data for monetary & political advertising purposes
 THREATS THAT FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION WILL BRING

• New economic disruptions with uncertain socio-economic consequences for South Africa.
• The 4IR assumes that high-level skills and knowledge will be required in the 4IR
economy, and that schools and teacher education need to reconfigure themselves to ensure
that such high knowledge and skills will be developed through education. 
 SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
NEEDED FOR 4IR

• Creativity, problem-solving, critical analysis, independent thinking and analytical

skills are some of the skills needed to exploit opportunities presented by the 4IR. 
• Some of the skills needed for the 4IR are foundational skills such as Workforce Readiness,
Soft Skills, Technical Skills, Complex problem solving Skills and Entrepreneurial Skills, etc.

• Professional competencies require programming skills, interpretation of failure notifications,

quality control and maintenance tasks etc.
• Personal competencies include critical thinking, stress management and reliability etc.
 FIXING THE LABOUR SKILLS
MISMATCH
• Since creating jobs for the burgeoning youth population is a priority in South Africa the
government is reluctant to support technologies that threaten existing jobs. Some of the
current technologies tend to replace low-skilled workers of which the country has an
abundance of, with higher-skilled workers constraining participation in the 4IR to economies
with relevant skills. The South African government must
• invest in education and reskilling programs to ensure that technology supplements, instead of
replaces, labour.
• Invest strategically in workforce training approaches
• Reframe the possibilities for the marginalized
 CONCLUSION
• Failure to recognize and capitalize on 4IR opportunities, conversely, will
impose considerable risks on the South African economy and its stakeholders:
Without attempts to move beyond existing models of innovation,
entrepreneurship, and digital growth in the country, South African businesses
risk falling further behind, exacerbating the global “digital divide” and
lowering their global competitiveness.
• Going beyond the existing models requires discipline in governance to allow an
endogenous innovative environment. At the same time, institutions must protect
the market through consumer protection laws and regulations that encourage
competition.
• Thus, a general conclusion is that Fourth Industrial Revolution may contribute to the
increase of poverty and hunger and to the widening of income and social inequality
with rich and high-skilled people taking advantage from the technology progress and
low-paid and less qualified employees suffering a greater reduction of their income.

• The widening of income gap between rich and poor people in [south Africa] may
also lead to an increase of illegal immigration which in turn may drive to serious
cultural and political conflicts.

• REFERENCES
• https://www.undigo.org>stories>south Africa 4IR
• https://en.m.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolution