Barely a brick has been moved at most of the so-called “smart cities” that various senior government officials have promised to build over the last decade.
However, Mooikloof Smart City, next to Garsfontein Road on the outskirts of eastern Tshwane, already has several completed multi-storey apartment blocks, some of which are already occupied.
The R84-billion project was officially launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020 as a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) between Balwin Properties and the national government.
Read more: One smart city in South Africa that already has people living in it
The eThekwini Municipality is accelerating the digitisation of its Human Resources (HR) systems, a strategic shift aimed at improving accountability, enhancing workforce performance and enabling faster and more reliable services for residents.
This was highlighted during an oversight visit by the Governance and Human Resources Portfolio Committee to employee training sessions on the new digital HR platform.
The Mnquma Local Municipality recently contracted TMT to implement an advanced Smart Safe City solution aimed at enhancing public safety, improving situational awareness, and enabling faster response to incidents.
The project, centered in Butterworth, represents a major step forward in the municipality’s vision of using technology to create safer, more connected communities.
Read more: ZA: Mnquma: Building Butterworth: A Safe, Smart City
Limpopo village is set to receive a smart village micro-grid that will provide solar-powered electricity to rural communities through smart grids.
The project will be launched on Friday by electricity and energy minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa at Madimbo Primary School near Musina. It aims to provide sustainable, reliable and affordable energy to areas where connecting to the national grid is difficult or costly, says Eskom.
Read more: Smart village powers Limpopo amid SA’s digital divide
By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s people will live in cities. South Africa is already feeling that pull as more people move to metros in search of work and opportunity.
Many of our cities are struggling to keep pace. Ageing utilities, unreliable services and congested roads are making daily life harder and slowing growth.
Read more: Why SA’s future depends on smart cities and high-speed fibre