Johannesburg steps up smart city plans
The City of Johannesburg has launched an integrated Information Communications Technology (ICT) system as part of its smart city strategy.
Global software firm SAP will anchor this business transformation programme, which will be implemented under the auspices of tech giants EOH, Gijima, and Accenture, the city said in a statement on Tuesday (17 July).
“The system will, in essence, provide municipal services on an integrated platform, enabling the city to improve the delivery of basic services, using technology,” it said.
“Most applications will run on a mobile platform, making municipal data transparent and available to the public through an open portal. This will enable employees and residents of the city to view their personal profiles, manage their energy consumption, pay municipal bills, and apply for leave, amongst other features.”
Speaking on the launch, city manager Dr Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni, said that a highly automated business process will cut costs for the city and revolutionise municipal operations.
Lukhwareni said that the tech solution will be implemented in phases spanning two years, and will include:
- The digitisation of HR processes at the metro centre, Pikitup, the Johannesburg Social Housing Company and other city entities;
- Monitoring and management of the the municipal fleet, including the BRT and Metro buses;
- Management of traffic congestion in the inner city;
- The integration of billing between City Power and Joburg Water by January 2019.
The city’s newly appointed CTO Cyril Baloyi said that this digitised platform will ensure Joburg has a single view of municipal services and citizens.
“The city’s ICT infrastructure is obsolete; we need to move to an efficient, automated tech system that’ll improve accountability in municipal operations,” he said.
Baloyi emphasised that the city’s tech-focused plan will enhance how the municipality does quality management.
“It’s meant to improve operational efficiency,” he said, noting that all city ICT systems will be consolidated to create harmonised municipal operations.
Read: Cape Town wants awesome tech ideas to help turn it into SA’s first smart city
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