POLOKWANE – A 29-year-old woman from Ga-Maja outside Polokwane is breaking new ground in the tech space with an app designed to help victims of crime and emergencies get faster assistance.

Mapula Mailula, founder of the soon-to-be-launched Crime and Emergency App System, was inspired by her own experiences, incidents in her community and a determination to fight crime and gender-based violence.

With a background in Information Technology and digital marketing, Mailula designed the app to connect users directly with emergency services, including SAPS, hospitals, and fire departments.

Users will register with personal details so that responders can quickly identify and assist them.

“I was inspired to do the app because police struggle to get to victims in time during emergencies, and with crime and GBV increasing daily, I felt the need to act,” she said.

The app will also include camera systems at traffic lights that can detect crime and automatically alert nearby police stations through the connected platform.

Mailula admits the journey has been difficult, especially in finding funders and stakeholders, however, she says community support has kept her motivated.

“The public is happy to have a tool like this and stakeholders are starting to come on board,” she told Polokwane Observer.

While she hinted at expansion plans, Mailula remains tight-lipped about the details.

“Yes, I have plans to expand the app, but for now I cannot reveal much,” she said.

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