NOMZAMO RESIDENTS EQUIPPED WITH APP TO REPORT PROBLEMS THAT HAVE EXISTED SINCE APPROXIMATELY 2009
By Thandi Jacobs-Williams
In a development described by the City of Cape Town as “digital empowerment” and by at least one resident as “so now it’s our job to report the potholes as well,” Nomzamo community members were this month trained to use the CCT App at a session held at ACJ Phakade Primary School.
The app, which allows users to report municipal service failures directly to the City, was demonstrated across several categories including water leaks, street light outages, illegal dumping and overgrown vegetation — a menu that one workshop attendee noted reads “like a tour of my street.”
City representatives were at pains to emphasize that reporting faults was a form of “civic participation” that helped the City deliver services “promptly and efficiently.” Several attendees raised their hands to ask why services had not previously been delivered promptly and efficiently without the app. The City representative took detailed notes.
The app is free to download. The potholes are also free. Both will remain available to the public indefinitely.
Workshop facilitators guided residents through the process of logging incidents, uploading photographs and “pinning exact locations,” a feature many residents found impressive given that several roads in the area have long since ceased to possess identifiable edges.
Residents were encouraged to include clear photographs with every complaint. This requirement briefly delayed proceedings as participants debated whether a single image could adequately capture the emotional depth of a burst sewage pipe flowing past a creche.
One resident successfully submitted a report regarding a non-functioning streetlight while seated directly beneath the non-functioning streetlight in question. According to witnesses, this marked the first recorded occasion on which the pole had received municipal attention of any kind.
Officials explained that each complaint would generate a reference number, which residents could later use to track progress on their issue. This was warmly welcomed by community members who said they looked forward to finally being able to monitor, in real time, the lack of progress they had previously only been able to suspect.
The City further encouraged residents not to become discouraged if issues were not resolved immediately, stressing that service delivery was “a shared responsibility.” Community members agreed, noting that residents already shared responsibility for avoiding potholes, trimming municipal grass outside their homes, identifying water leaks, unclogging storm drains and, during load shedding, providing their own lighting.
At the close of the workshop, attendees posed for photographs holding pamphlets reading “Your City in Your Hands.” Several residents reportedly nodded in agreement, observing that most municipal responsibilities appeared to be there as well.