The My Smart City service delivery platform has expanded to Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, after seeing a steady increase in the number of users who log their service delivery issues on the app.
Introduced bylocal software solutions company Acumen Softwarein July, the web and mobile app has garnered almost 22 000 active users on the platform, and grew by 11% month-on-month in January.
It enables residents to log calls relating to service delivery problems they encounter, such as reporting potholes, monitoring power or water outages, communicating with local municipal officials and raising a petition.
The platform is available in the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, and has now been introduced in eThekwini.
eThekwini residents can now help speed up the resolution of service delivery by logging infrastructure and service delivery problems on My Smart City.
According to Acumen, the City of Cape Town and City Power have integrated My Smart City into their municipal systems, and in future, residents will also be able to use the app to source private services, manage crowd-funding initiatives and gain access to community social and sporting events.
“We are delighted to rollout the My Smart City 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,” says Joao Zoio, CEO of Acumen Software.
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, adds Zoio.
The improved resolution times are due to My Smart City’s dedicated dispatch centre that ensures issues are being directed to the correct municipal channel. The dispatch centre, according to Zoio, also follows up on behalf of residents, as well as with city officials responding to focused calls being logged by My Smart City.
The free platform is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or via the My Smart City website.
To change the way citizens, businesses, community groups and public sector service providerscommunicate on the platform, the company says it has integrated new social news feed and alerts sections in the app.
The alerts section is for information-sharing about issues such as load-shedding, water outages, power outages, natural disasters and roadworks, while the news feed section allows users to view, create, share and engage with posts created by those within their areas.
“For the first time, South African citizens have open visibility of service delivery issues that have been reported,” says Kennedy Mogotsi, COO of Acumen Software.
“As registration numbers on the platform grow, so the citizen’s 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.”
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