Progress and Opportunities in South Africa’s Smart City Evolution

Philip de Bruin discusses the disparities in South African municipalities' adoption of smart city initiatives, in a Future Cities Africa webinar: Smart Cities, Smarter Citizens: Harnessing Technology for Unparalleled Service Delivery.

He notes that metropolitan areas are progressing rapidly, becoming isolated hubs of development, while rural municipalities trail behind. However, even small towns are implementing smart city features, such as smart streetlights and solar lights, supported by national government funding for smart city rejuvenation projects.

Philip emphasises the critical role of digitising core business processes to support this evolution, citing efforts like the National Treasury's overhaul of municipal processes and the adoption of electronic records management.

He highlights how AI is accelerating automation, surpassing initial planning timelines. Despite the progress, he expresses concern about cybersecurity risks, which grow as municipalities digitalize and open their infrastructure to external participation.

Philip remains enthusiastic about the smart city evolution, noting that even rural areas, such as those in the Northern Cape, are making strides, albeit at a slower pace compared to larger towns.