The eThekwini Municipality launched its mobile application in July this year, and to be quite honest, it is a nifty little tool in the arsenal of any Durbanite with a cell phone and internet connection.
Not only does it look and feel like it was created by someone that didn’t try too hard, but it also packs a punch.
From doing business with the City, to exploring and staying informed, for a City that is getting it wrong in many important departments like water and sanitation, this new application could just be for the betterment of residents.
Arguably, one of the nicest features of the app, from a governance perspective, is that all ward councillors are listed with their pictures and names of the political party they belong to.
It includes the councillors across eThekwini’s 111 wards and the mayor, councillor Mxolisi Kaunda.
The loading time of each tab is also quick, and this was tested during bad weather in Durban so the reception was not at 100 percent.
The app can function in English and isiZulu.
It has meter readings, bills and complaints tabs on the home page, which allows people to enter that specific portal to follow up or file one. You will need an account to do so.
It has portals to its available tenders as well as the Sizakala Customer care centres.
The sidebar pop-out menu features 12 categories, including councillors, places to visit, events and municipal information.
During a council meeting on Monday, Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the app has been downloaded over 20,000 times and is growing in popularity.
“To improve customer care, the City has created a new mobile app which has gained popularity with over 20,000 downloads since its launch in July this year. This mobile app is a major step forward for the City in embracing digital transformation and to enable customers to easily access their bills and to lodge complaints,” Kaunda said.
Kaunda said the City was working on four projects in the customer care unit, Sizakala, to help improve service delivery.
He said Oracle, the United States-founded tech company would be developing an integrated customer relations management portal.
Oracle was one of the big sponsors at the 2023 Govtech conference at the ICC last month.
“In February this year, the City Manager approved the rationalisation of all service delivery contact centres, namely Revenue; Electricity; and Water and Sanitation.
“The contact centres will be rationalised into the Sizakala Customer Service Unit by December this year. This is in response to the public complaints that the contact centres are inefficient, with long call waiting times,” the Mayor said.
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