Melvyn Lubega once co-founded a wildly successful online learning platform that became South Africa’s first “unicorn.” Now, he’s leading the national effort to digitise identity and licence services — a dramatic shift from ed-tech to public service. As head of the new Digital Service Unit (DSU) within the Presidency, Lubega leads the push for a unified digital-document infrastructure under the government’s “Digital Transformation Roadmap.”

Under his leadership, the DSU is building the MyMzansi app, envisioned as a one-stop platform for citizens: digital IDs, digital driving licences, renewals, and more. In early November 2025, the prototype demonstrated ability to issue and renew a digital licence entirely via smartphone — no need for plastic cards.

Lubega’s background — from founding Go1 (an online-learning startup) to strategic roles at major firms — gave him tech-startup fluency. His pivot to public-service tech reflects a bigger ambition: transform bureaucratic systems into streamlined digital services that work for millions of South Africans. With MyMzansi, the government hopes to simplify access to official documents, cut fraud, and make everyday interactions easier.

In short: a tech entrepreneur turned public-service architect — Lubega’s new mission is to help South Africa move from paper-heavy legacy systems to a modern, digital identity ecosystem. And if successful, MyMzansi could fundamentally change how citizens access IDs, licences and government services.