Records play a significant role in the governing of a country. As electronic service delivery and e-government grows and expands, so does the need to control and manage the digital records that are generated as a result. The necessity of embedding good records management principles, policies and practices within the e-government infrastructure in order to gain public trust and to provide an impeccable evidential trail has not yet received proper attention in the e-government debate. Digital records management needs to play a pivotal role in delivering accountability and ensuring proper governance for the e-governed state. Successful e-government requires the application of the basic principles of records management - without them; governments cannot reasonably claim to be operating within the boundaries of their own legislative frameworks. Almost all aspects of e-government are affected, and this paper explores different aspects of e-government communications, the consequent digital records that emerge are discussed and the records lifecycle is examined for its potential contribution towards ensuring government accountability. The role of records management in providing a framework for transparent government processes to assist public acceptance of e-government is also considered.
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