THE Glenwood/Bulwer Ratepayers & Residents Association (GBRRA), through the ERRA (eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association), has been one of the first in South Africa to test out a new one-of-a-kind community reporting system developed by a UKZN student who is also a resident in the area.

The site administrators shared that in less than a week, over 3000 visits were reported, with 350 service reports and 250 000 data points captured.

The CityMenderSA system has been launched, and it’s free with no registration or login required, making it the first of its kind in the country.

The public civic reporting platform is set to alleviate challenges faced by residents when reporting service delivery issues and faults, thus improving turnaround time.

Also read: Slow service delivery irks Manor Gardens UIP

“The system is very simple to use. It will not only benefit residents but also the municipality, as it will be easier to lodge complaints and act swiftly. It will help hold local government accountable. We are working on the isiZulu version and configuring the system as a full-fledged app. The data received from the system can also be used to monitor progress and fall-backs in terms of service delivery,” said one of the creators.

Residents can report issues about potholes, broken streetlights, water leaks and more. They can pin their location, get a reference number, track and update the issue, and view all reports on an interactive map.

The system can be accessed via www.citymendersa.co.za

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