The City of Joburg has launched an integrated Information Communications Technology (ICT) system that will simplify and streamline cumbersome municipal operations as part of its Smart City strategy.
The 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 system will, in essence, provide municipal services on an integrated platform, enabling the City to improve the delivery of basic services, using technology.
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.
Dr Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni, the City Manager, says a highly automated business process will cut costs for the City and revolutionise municipal operations. “It’ll harmonise the provision of municipal services, making the City to have a unified and strong ICT focus,” Dr Lukhwareni says.
The SAP run programme essentially heralds the digitisation of municipal services on a cloud-based system, including customer care, supply chain management, transport, governance and people management.
The system that will make Joburg a Smart City was introduced to Executives of the municipality on Monday, 16 July in the green, award-winning Council Chamber. Punted as a yardstick for efficient service delivery, the tech solution will be implemented in phases spanning two years. The implementation will start with the digitisation of HR processes at the Metro Centre, followed by Pikitup, the Johannesburg Social Housing Company and other city entities.
Another crucial intervention will be the integration of billing between City Power and Joburg Water by January 2019.
The business transformation system will help the City to have accurate and timely information and quantifiable and improved data for decision-making and improved regulatory compliance and reporting.
The City’s newly appointed Chief Technology Officer, Cyril Baloyi says a 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 “The City’s ICT infrastructure is obsolete; we need to move to an efficient, automated tech system that’ll improve accountability in municipal operations,” he says.
Baloyi emphasises that the City’s tech-focused plan will enhance how the municipality does quality management. “It’s meant to improve operational efficiency,” he says, noting that all City ICT systems will be consolidated to create harmonised municipal operations.
By means of this system, the City of Joburg will also be able to monitor and manage the municipal fleet, including the BRT and Metro Buses, and manage traffic congestion in the Inner City. “This implies a conscious effort to use ICT to transform the general quality of life for residents,” says Dr Lukhwareni.
