Vodacom has developed a platform and launched two mobile applications for users to report on service delivery issues as part of a wider initiative to promote active citizenry.<\/p>\n
The first, OR Tambo District Municipality\u2019s citizenship engagement platform, allows residents of the district to engage the municipality on any service delivery concerns.<\/p>\n
The OR Tambo District has given its platform the name \u201cThetha Nathi\u201d which means \u201cTalk to us\u201d.<\/p>\n
Through this solution, residents will be able to engage the municipality through multiple channels, namely voice, a mobile app, USSD and email, through the use of their cellular phones \u2013 wherever they are.<\/p>\n
For the first phase of deployment, the municipality has prioritised the management of water and sanitation.<\/p>\n
The second app, Link, is a zero-rated general community app that enables communities to report service delivery issues such as blocked drains, burst pipes, electricity outages, missing manhole covers and refuse issues.<\/p>\n
Link also offers additional services including the ability to connect to a variety of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices as well as follow community channels which allow users to report and view safety and security related incidents in their communities, view local job advertising and businesses.<\/p>\n
Vodacom said that the platform was built over a period of six years by engineers in South Africa, Sweden and the US.<\/p>\n