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Local Government e-Participation
PPP Indaba
Gauteng Legislature
Stefan Stautner
Presentation by SALGA / GIZ
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Purpose of the Study
• “…to identify the potential for strengthening
public participation and social accountability in
South African local governance through the use
of ICT’s, in the form of e-Inclusion and e-
Participation and e-Government programmes.“
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Governance Context
The Policy Framework Vote
Public
Policy formulation Municipality
Service Delivery
Collaborative (Organised) Local
Development

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The Status Quo
• Auditor General – little transparency / accountability
around finance
• Low trust by citizens
• Persistent corruption despite successive programmes to
combat it
• Patronage & nepotism undermine services & efficiency
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Local Government Turnaround Strategy
• Implement a new ward committee governance
model;
• good citizenship campaign to “unite the nation”;
• mobilise public involvement in local
development.

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Key Trends
• E-Inclusion
• Infomediaries
• Interaction tests DEPTH of citizenship
• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, MixIt)
• Citizens more equal People are getting
• Governments more responsive connected, where is
• ICT’s driving Gov maturation government?
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Potential Case Studies in ICT Usage
• Social Media: Langeberg Local Municipality (Facebook to reach
citizens by creating a Facebook City Pages). Others include City of
Johannesburg, Grahamstown and Durban.
• Two way SMS platforms - eMakhazeni
• Smart transportation systems - Nelson Mandela Bay Metro
• Open source software - eThekweni Metro: use of to run websites &
Voip to reduce telephone costs
• Document Information Management Systems - uThungulu
District Municipality (KZN) –could allow ward committees to track
project progress in their areas

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Select Findings – Case Studies
• Unevenness in ICT usage – competence mainly in
metros & DMs
• Community participation functions are rarely ICT enabled
• Wariness amongst managers of using ICTs for
accountability / transparency – seen as a political
function
• Some existing internal e-government functions could be
easily enriched with eParticipation elements

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Select Findings – Case Studies
• ICTs are a productive focus for shared services –
economies of scale, core expertise etc – may include
mentor & support relations
• Communication, public participation and IT functions are
not always integrated and coordinated for the best
impact on public participation and accountability.
• ICT resource and infrastructure deployments tend to
favour communication, branding and public relations
functions at the expense of participation and
transparency.

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Recommendations & Model/s
Following a Maturity Model approach
Medium ICT High ICT Maturity
Basic ICT Maturity
Maturity with start‐ with advanced e‐
(e‐government)
up e‐governance governance
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Basic ICT Maturity (e-government) -
Short to Medium Term
• Register for SMS alerts of council meetings, • Provision of all information as required by
standing committees, IDP representative MSA and MFMA on website
forums etc
• On-line newsletter – can be an e-version of
• ICT enabled customer satisfaction surveys hard copy newsletter
(website, sms, call centre)
• Making provision for key staff to use social
• ICT enabled services at Multi-purpose media to enrich work content and access
Resource (Thusong) Centres external expertise
• Provision for online payment of taxes, • User-friendly searchable data base on web
utilities, vehicle licenses, permits etc – can of key policies, minutes and by-laws
be through a third party facility such as arranged by most relevance for service
Easypay users
• Call centres – mainly for service issues / • Creation of a Facebook municipal page and
account queries use for public engagement on municipal
issues
• Full contact details for ward councillors
published on internet
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Medium ICT Maturity with start‐up e‐governance
(Med to Long Term)
• Logging key concerns / issues per ward to • Provision of high level user services such as
free sms number / website CCTV traffic flow patterns and water quality
info from beaches to website or mobile
• Internet-based ward profiles & data incl
images • Use of rural hubs at schools, clinics etc to
provide identity of traditional chief for the
• Registration of interested parties via web or
area, focus of recent consultations, projects
email for input on key components e.g.
scheduled for area & priorities
spatial frameworks, land use plans etc
• Email updates to registered subscribers
• Provision for electronic input into IDP e.g.
during times of municipal crisis e.g. budget /
email, SMS or other link
cash flow crisis
• Email register of key interest groups /
• Page on website summarising results of
advocacy bodies by topic – targeted
performance assessment from Annual
feedback on draft by-laws, policies etc
Report
• Website facility for public comments /
• On-line provision for receiving registering &
feedback on draft by-laws, policies etc
acknowledging petitions and complaints
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High ICT Maturity with advanced e‐governance
(Long term)
• Bi-annual SMS polls on performance of • General use of chat rooms, Wikis, mixit or
ward councilors other social media platforms to generate
discussion on key topics
• Monitoring of ward projects via website link
to key documents on intranet / municipal • On-line feedback to municipal departments
data bases via website, sms, call centre, mixit or email –
specific emails for different business units /
• Wiki facilitated joint drafting of by-laws or
line departments can be created
policies by expert panels / interest groups
• Conduct on-line polls on key LG issues e.g.
• Electronic drafts of annual Report circulated
re-naming suburbs and streets
to registered interest groups / CSOs for
comment prior to publication • Install webcams at council meetings
enabling those who reside far away to watch
• Identify and register particular
proceedings at a municipal library. School
‘infomediaries’ for particular wards to
children could also watch these meetings as
facilitate on-line needs analysis / service
part of the Life Orientation curriculum.
prioritisation for ward / community based
planning
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m-participation pilot project in Greater Tzaneen
Municipality

17. Context
GTM Why “Mobile Participation”
• Population: 500 000, 80% • Majority of residents have cell
rural, 125 villages phones
• Large youth population (¾ • SMS’s will be read, more
under 35) reliable that other
• Current PP mechanisms incl. communication channels
ward committees, ward • Especially attractive
meetings, izimbizo, events communication medium for
=> Geographical, capacity & youth
financial constraints in • Addresses challenges related
facilitating effective public to large distances
participation • Relatively cost‐effective

18. Concept OUTBOUND
SMS’S
INBOUND SMS’S Councillors/  Know your
 Input on Council ward councillor
development  sms alerts of
priorities e.g. Objectives opportunities to
linked to 1. Improve scope & quality participate e.g.
IDP/budget of public participation in ward/ward
consultations governance of GTM committee/IDP/
 Input on 2. Improve municipality’s budget
proposals e.g. responsiveness to meetings,
new policies & citizens/stakeholders izimbizo,
by‐laws, tariffs documents
 Feedback on Citizens/ available for
surveys comment etc.
stakeholders
 Report service  Surveys e.g.
delivery faults customer
 Lodge satisfaction
complaints/ask  Service delivery
questions notices e.g.
disruptions

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SMS - COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMMUNITY
Case Study
Emakhazeni Local Municipality
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COLLECTING DATA:
DECISION WAS TAKING NOT TO TAP INTO THE MUNICPIAL ACCOUNT
• Privacy
• “Buy in” wanted from the Citizens
NOITCES WERE ISSUED AND ADVERTISEMENTS PLACED IN LOCAL PAPERS.
WE THEN ISSUED A REQUEST ON THE MUNICIPAL WEBSITE.

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HOW IT WORKS:
THIS IS A WEB BASED SYSTEM.
ADVANTAGE IS THAT ONCE
YOU HAVE INTERNET ACCESS,
YOU CAN LOG INTO YOUR
SECURE ACCOUNT ONLINE.
AFTER LOGGING IN, YOU ARE
PRESENTED WITH AN OPTION
MENU.

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HOW IT WORKS:
•YOU CAN ADD
INDIVIDUAL CELL
NUMBERS .
•IMPORT FROM YOUR
ADDRESS BOOK.
•IMPORT AN EXCEL OR
CSV FILE.

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EVEN AFTER YOU HAVE
IMPORTED YOUR DATA
FILE, YOU CAN STILL EDIT
IT.
THE SYSTEM ALSO
ALLOWS YOU TO
LOCALISE YOUR DATA
BASE.

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SENDING IS EASY.
WRITE YOUR MESSAGE IN THE
TEXT BOX.
TICK THE GROUPS YOU WANT
TO TARGET.
PRESS SEND.

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YOUR MESSAGE FIRST GOES
TO AN OUTBOX,
THEN TO THE SENT BOX.

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SMS REPORTING IS USER
FRIENDLY.
JUST SELECT THE PERIOD
YOU REQUIRE, AND
GENERATED REPORTS CAN
BE SAVED IN PDF.

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Model for e-Participation
The Public &Other Stakeholders
Info-mediaries
Municipality
ICT infrastructure (Hardware & Software)
Informational Base for Well Established Processes
(IDP, Budget, By‐Laws, municipal communications
& ward meetings, legislated informational bases
MSA & MFMA, etc.)

28. Model Software Infrastructure
Free numbers and outgoing SMS (incurs cost to municipality)
Internet apps and incoming SMS (no cost to municipality)
Client side (Public)
Any Web Mobile Mobile PSTN or Mobile
Mobile App Mobile
Browser Browser Phone or VoIP phones
Third party site SMS Gateway
Server side (Municipality)
Mobile (Mxit, or provider PCM
Website IVR
Website FaceBook, (e.g. System
etc.) BulkSMS)
Call Centre Software

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Recommendations
• 1st priority - ICT’s deployed, to the established and well understood
systems of participatory local governance:
• From internal e-government to true eParticipation
• Change mindset of officials – ICTs are not just for PR /
communication purposes
• ICT standards linked to municipal category / grade / incentives
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