EVATON.- The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) hosted young innovators from the Southern Corridor at the Youth Tech Expo (YTE) G13 Hackathon, from October 19 to 20.

Acting Executive Mayor, Sipho Radebe, representing Executive Mayor Hassan Mako, officially welcomed participants and delivered the keynote address.

In his address, Radebe described young people as “the architects of our future” and encouraged them to “think like entrepreneurs” by developing innovative solutions to municipal challenges, including water management, waste removal, electricity and billing.

The ELM said that the Expo aimed to equip young people with digital skills in coding, robotics, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. The initiative aim was to foster innovation, create employment opportunities and advance the Municipality’s vision of a Smart Vaal River City.

The programme was hosted by the Gauteng Department of e-Government, under the leadership of MEC Bonginkosi Dhlamini, in partnership with Telkom as the main sponsor.