ETHEKWINI residents have a new tool to help speed up the resolution of service delivery issues – such as potholes, water and power outages – by logging infrastructure and service delivery problems on My Smart City.
That’s according to Joao Zoio, the CEO of Acumen Software, who said the free and independent platform places citizens in the driving seat to log, monitor and track issues. It was built by his company and has already been launched in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
“We are delighted to roll-out the MySmartCity platform in eThekwini. In spite of the social unrest in July 2021, there are exciting and positive developments in the metro and we are thrilled to be part of providing residents with a platform where they can share their service delivery issues, track and monitor progress and see issues resolved expeditiously,” said Zoio.
He added that Johannesburg and Cape Town residents who have logged service delivery issues on My Smart City have seen a three to fourfold improvement in turnaround times. He attributed this to the platform’s dedicated dispatch centre that ensures issues are being directed to the correct municipal channel.
The dispatch centre also follows up on behalf of residents, as well as with municipal officials responding to focused calls being logged by My Smart City.
The developers have added a new social feed to the app, which he said brings “razor sharp focus” to what is happening within an area. Citizens can engage and share current affairs within their communities as well as extract information around power outages, load shedding schedules, water outages, road closures, and stay updated with community alerts specific to where they reside.
“For the first time South African citizens have open visibility of service delivery issues that have been reported,” said Kennedy Mogotsi, COO of Acumen Software. “As registration numbers on the platform grow, so the citizens voice will become more powerful. The unity of citizens through one channel has a direct impact on the upliftment and repair of their city’s infrastructure and public spaces.”
While the My Smart City teams are not responsible for the execution of resolving service delivery issues directly, their dedicated dispatch and support teams escalate issues to the municipality’s service providers for resolution. This, Mogotsi said, lifts the burden from the citizen having to call into call centres and have to follow up on their reported matters.
“The easy-to-use and transparent platform gives citizens a voice and promotes accountability through technology.”
My Smart City is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or via the My Smart City Website.
