In an effort to improve the state of critical municipal services and infrastructure ERPA joined hands with the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark to develop an innovative smart phone app to assist with the inept deputation and management of complaints, disputes and grievances.
According to Mike Brucher, a member of ERPA and the originator of the Smart Reporting System project, the need arose to create a software application that can be used by the community members of Emfuleni from where they could acquire relevant information, find official documentation, lay complaints, log issues pertaining to failing infrastructure and track the progress of repairs to infrastructure.
After meeting with Dr Carin Venter, acting deputy director for the School of Computer Science and Information Systems, it was agreed that final-year IT students would work on the foreseen reporting system by developing a back-end database and fault reporting front-end as a web service leveraged through an Android app. Not only did this allow them to gain valuable programming exposure, but also saw them develop a first ever usable artefact that would be used by all members of the Vanderbijlpark community.
According to Kobus Janse van Rensburg, ERPA chairperson, three types of users will make use of the app, namely: residents who use the system to report issues, agents who will delegate and follow-up on issues and, admins who will manage all aspects of the system. He further explains that the app also provides links to the existing ERPA website for items such as news, documents, polls and much more. Other features which was developed is the use of pictures and geo-location when reporting issues with the app.
According to Dr Venter the project will remain current and as such this year’s IT students as well as postgraduate students will busy themselves with further improving and expanding the app. “If all goes according to plan, the app will be fully functional and available from the Android App Store by the end of 2019,” says Dr Venter.
More about ERPA
ERPA is an apolitical and non-profit company concerned with setting the benchmark for South Africa on how to deal with the failures of distressed and dysfunctional municipalities.
During 2018 the association set up a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) with the Emfuleni Local Municipality, aiming to improve the state of critical municipal services and infrastructure in Emfuleni. Their mission, through a comprehensive PPP programme is to: fix the burning challenges left in the wake of the ELM, implement processes and procedures that will facilitate continual improvement in the maintenance, quality and delivery of municipal services and infrastructure, as well as enhance professional, transparent and cost effective governance.
* The School of Computer Science and Information Systems is situated within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
Here’s to many more future successes! Kobus Janse van Rensburg (left) from ERPA, pictured with the students who worked on the app, together with members of the academic team: Petri Jooste, Dr Carin Venter and Prof Dawid Jordaan. Absent: Mike Brucher.
