An online platform that allows city residents to log municipal service delivery issues is now available in the City of Tshwane.
Built by software development and business consulting firm Acumen Software, the My Smart City platform was initially launched in Cape Town and Johannesburg in July.
According to a statement, Tshwane residents can now use the free platform to log issues such as interrupted water supply, power outages, street light repairs and outages, waste and garbage removal, potholes, and requests to clean streets and public spaces.
Tshwane residents can assist their municipalities to see service delivery issues resolved in their wards by logging issues through the platform, reads the statement.
“There is a large gap between the expectations of city residents and the services that are being delivered by their municipalities,” says Joao Zoio, CEO of Acumen Software.
“It’s clear that citizens are frustrated and that cities are overwhelmed. That’s why we have developed a free platform for citizens to report, track and resolve their service delivery concerns by engaging their cities through the My Smart City platform. We expect to add significant value through our dispatch centre, providing citizens with the support they need and the cities with a helpful hand.”
Since launching the platform in Cape Town and Johannesburg, both cities have seen a three- to four-fold improvement in the turnaround times to resolve service delivery issues, according to Acumen Software.
Although the delivery issues are logged through the platform, the My Smart City teams are not responsible for the execution of resolving service delivery issues directly. Instated, dispatch and support teams follow up on behalf of residents that have logged service delivery issues through the platform, as well as city officials responding to focused calls being logged by My Smart City.
Says Zoio: “Many of the historical systems that our cities use are seen as voids and pacifiers where complaints get lost and buried in their systems. My Smart City escalates and pushes for resolution of issues through our dispatch centre, escalation of issues within city structures and media pressure with the publication of statistics on the city’s service performance.”
My Smart City is available for download from the Google Play Store, App Store or via the website.
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