Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane says work is underway to develop a new smart city in the province.
Presenting his state of the province address on Thursday (17 February), Mabuyane indicated that the project was still in the planning and design phase, with the provincial government working to attract investors.
Read more: New coastal smart city to be built in South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week delivered South Africa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), and the proverbial dust has now settled.
This dust may have been kicked up by those who oppose him, his leadership style, his party, the ANC, and the way it is leading this country. Conversely, others were left unimpressed by what was delivered in the address, as it provided them with nothing to make their lives any better or provide genuine hope.
Read more: SA needs more than a social pact: it must deliver a smart economy and nation
Imagine a South Africa where you can apply for an ID or driver’s license without waiting in long queues or being sent home because the system is offline.
One where you can apply for a government job without going through the dreaded Z83 form, one where government processes are transparent and the workers are held accountable.
Read more: ZA: Government digital transformation in the new normal
The Kouga Local Municipality has been working hard to establish Kouga as a “Smart City”, which will see the region receive state-of-the-art technology and will ultimately preserve quality of life for residents.
According to Kouga Executive Mayor, Horatio Hendricks, a Smart City consists of state-of-the-art technology that is accessible to most residents – if not all – preparing for the concept of Industry 4.0.
Read more: ZA: Eastern Cape: Kouga working towards Smart City status
President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke of his vision of a smart city and bullet trains in South Africa during his State of the Nation address in June 2019.
While several updates regarding smart cities have been made publicly available, the Presidency has remained quiet on the subject of the bullet train.
Read more: South African smart cities move forward — bullet train doesn’t