CityMenderSA empowers residents

KEYUREN Maharaj, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, recently launched a new system that helped residents log service delivery issues.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER [e-mail]

The system is called CityMenderSA and it is South Africa’s first no-registration, free public civic reporting platform with an interactive map.

“CityMenderSA does not just collect complaints. We are building a publicly accessible database of infrastructure issues that shows exactly where the system is failing,” said Maharaj, of Glenwood.

“Every report creates multiple data points, every update tells a story, and the interactive map lets residents, councillors and community organisations see the full picture and not just isolated problems.”

He said the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (Erra) was one of the first in the country to test the community reporting system.

“Our team, together with Erra, will set up a meeting with municipalities to show that the application was designed to be easy to use, and it would help residents and municipalities to identify and understand how they can improve service delivery.”

CityMenderSA allows anyone to log issues like potholes, broken street lights, water leaks, blocked drains and illegal dumping.