To improve its citizens’ access to municipal services, Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM) in the Western Cape has rolled out a digital citizen app.
Developed by local tech firm AmoebaTSC, the app is aligned to function “effortlessly” with e-municipal systems, says a statement.
It is an engagement platform between citizens, municipality and service providers, featuring communication, emergency button, help-desk, utility management, services shopping, digital wallet and payments, document repository, events and facility management functionality.
“Technology is not the solution on its own, but is rather an enabler and catalyst to be utilised in innovative ways to achieve socio-economic development in and for our communities,” says Heinrich Metler, municipal manager of SBM.
The app, notes the statement, is one of the key building blocks for the municipality, the first of which is the installation of a single open access network.
Cornell De Kock, SBM director for economic development and strategic services, adds: “This open access network provides a digital highway to our municipality that unlocks access to a multitude of internet service providers and provides the access medium to enable the rest of the building blocks.”
Furthermore, it forms part of the BAOBAB project, which is focused on connecting every single household in the municipal area.
According to the statement, the BAOBAB project is embedded in the overarching framework of Saldanha Bay Municipality’s open access infrastructure, focusing on solving the provision of fibre-to-the-X for all in the community.
“This creates an open, equitable and transparent platform for the private sector and municipality to provide value-added services on the back of the fibre network and platforms,” says AmoebaTSC’s Chris van der Walt.
As interest in smart cities continues to grow, national and local government departments are committing to programmes for sustainability, innovation and economic development that depend on technological investments.
“An effective telecommunications network and related services is one of the essential enablers of such a smart municipality vision,” concludes Van der Walt.
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