Vuyo Zitumane, COO of City of Tshwane.

“A smart city is one that cares about its citizens, embraces the inclusion of all citizens, and recognises that digital transformation is vitally important to enhance service delivery to communities,” Zitumane says.

A smart city integrates digital technology into the entire delivery chain to enable a quicker turnaround and better quality of services, while ensuring that the community is actively involved in the process. “Most importantly, digital technology creates a link to citizens that does not discriminate according to distance, class, or whether a community is formal or informal. Smart collaboration and engagement improve quality of life across the board for everyone,” she says.

There are several ways that technology can help with improving a municipality’s key performance areas. A big challenge is the turnaround for recruitment times. Having vacant positions means a city’s service delivery may be compromised. However, when jobs are advertised, every application has to be read and considered. It can take many months to manually work through thousands of applications, and hire an employee with the right specialised skills. Technology can assist in streamlining the process. It can help pinpoint the correctly qualified applicants, drastically shorten the screening process, and assist in checking references.

“Technology can help us do the initial interviews. Time and money can be saved by interviewing online, and this allows us to fill positions faster,” Zitumane says.

Technology also enables more efficient training and development of government employees. Online training and certification can be done within a shorter time, and at a lower cost.

Infrastructure improvement is another area where smart functionality can speed up the process. One of the biggest problems a city has is the turnaround time in supply chain processes.

Appointing a service provider can take months. Automation shortens the appointment process, allowing it to get underway sooner.

“Automation also allows for a fairer process in procurement or approval, and means that all aspects are considered and none are skipped,” Zitumane says. “This can help prevent corruption occurring in the procurement process.” Planning processes can be expedited through technology, and also handled more efficiently and fairly. Technology allows for proper public participation so that a community’s needs are heard, allows for report backs to citizens who protest or complain, and also offers an efficient conduit for routine maintenance notifications.

In terms of service delivery, turnaround time is shortened, creating a better quality of life for citizens, as well as improved trust and confidence in government.

Service delivery is expedited by technology, and MTN has created applications that can be used by citizens to pinpoint service delivery issues. For example, a citizen can take a photo of a pothole, link the location to the app, and the app will accurately report the location of the pothole. This enhances efficiency and turnaround time.

Pipe leaks are another area where technology can make a difference. Many First World cities, currently including the City of Cape Town, use various technologies to notify the system about a leak or a change in water flow. This makes it easier and quicker for municipalities to identify the fault and deploy repair teams to the correct location to fix it.

“Non-technical losses of electricity or water consumption are something that every municipality struggles with,” Zitumane says. “When people steal these resources, municipalities can easily be tipped into a negative balance. When charging for electricity and water, all municipalities make provision for a loss in the bulk pipeline, and can still be profitable despite this. However, largescale theft pushes this percentage far higher, and this is where municipalities end up experiencing losses. With smart technology, we can pick up anomalies faster and more accurately, identify if any theft is occurring, and then take immediate steps to disconnect the thieves. This is important for revenue collection, because municipalities cannot run effectively if they are operating at a loss.”

Integration with the private sector can assist in projects that provide automation, such as installing smart electricity meters. Automation of smart systems boosts the collection of revenue, and the seamless supply of services. However, smart meters require millions of rands of investment, and collaboration with private sector companies that have the necessary competencies and tools, can help this happen sooner.

Integration of private and public sector infrastructure can greatly assist in other key areas, such as providing better security and monitoring at substations where theft and vandalism occurs. “Tshwane is not yet mature in terms of automation, but with the support of the current political and administrative leadership, technology applications that improve operational efficiency, and enhance communication with citizens are being prioritised,” Zitumane says. “Looking to the future, I visualise a city that technology has helped to make water-secure and energy-secure, conserving resources for future generations. I look forward to the day when our city is able to deliver as many services as possible through digital means, where crime control is enhanced through camera surveillance, and where WiFi and connectivity are available everywhere. With the appropriate use of technology, and the correct support systems in place, I hope this vision will reach fruition.”

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