The president promised the projects in his 2019 state of the nation address
President Cyril Ramaphosa has provided details of government plans for high-speed trains and smart cities which he promised in his 2019 state of the nation address.
The schemes were scoffed at by commentators at the time given SA’s severe challenges in providing jobs and basic services to its population.
Read more: ZA: Progress being made with high-speed trains and smart city, says Ramaphosa
“I want that smart city.”
That was premier Oscar Mabuyane’s message to finance minister Enoch Godongwana when he addressed senior provincial and national government officials at the Eastern Cape government’s year-end function hosted at the East London ICC on Wednesday night.
Mayors and municipal managers also attended the function.
Read more: ZA: Smart city concept must become a reality, premier tells Godongwana
A digital revolution is under way in South Africa, and it is leaving an indelible mark on industry and enterprise. It is changing how we move people and products, how we create and use energy, how we interact with and care for each other. It is influencing how we build our cities, spend our money and manage our wellbeing. It is remodelling our thinking and how we solve problems, and it is pushing us towards a connected future.
With the South African government highlighting the importance of building smart cities by integrating advanced technologies to make them more resilient and liveable, the role of next-generation network video and surveillance technologies cannot be ignored.
Slade Vandrau, surveillance business unit manager at Duxbury Networking
As a distributor of advanced surveillance products, Duxbury Networking understands how these solutions can enhance urban security while also improving all facets of city life, including traffic management and optimising emergency responses.
Read more: ZA: Embrace next-generation surveillance for safer cities
As cities in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) experience rapid growth, the concept of smart cities, driven by innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), presents an extraordinary potential to revolutionise urban infrastructure and services. At the core of this transformation lies Lenovo’s Smart Cities initiative, harmonising AI expertise with the promise of smarter technology for all.
Smart cities are not just technological marvels; they embody the integration of technology, data, and citizen-centric solutions to optimise urban living. A smart city leverages AI, Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, and automation to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and the ‘livability’ of urban environments. By seamlessly connecting people, processes, and devices, a smart city essentially addresses critical urban challenges while laying the foundation for future generations.