Johannesburg, 09 Sep 2011
Managing a municipality is no mean feat. It requires the synchronisation of human resources, the careful and accurate collection of revenue, the marshalling of plant and equipment, and the ability to assign these resources across a substantial geographic area.
For those municipalities that seek to achieve all of this as efficiently as possible, a central, high-performance and low-maintenance enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is considered absolutely essential.
That much is confirmed by Brendon Scholtz, CFO of Sedibeng District Municipality, in his personal capacity, based on past experiences. He says this district municipality relies on the e-Venus solution developed by Business Connexion. “We've used e-Venus for well over 10 years now; it is widely implemented across our region and has proven to be stable and capable,” says Scholtz.
Isaac Mophatlane, Chief Executive: Innovation at Business Connexion, says: “Endorsements from municipalities such as Sedibeng are key to our commitment to gain real-world insights from our customers. For more than two decades, we have used these insights to develop a solution specifically for South African municipalities. This dedication to service excellence has resulted in a modernised, Internet-ready solution, which is now used by 72 municipalities around the country and handles more than four million accounts every month.”
Modise Nyawane, Managing Executive at Business Connexion, agrees, saying the company has continually invested in the development of the e-Venus solution throughout its long history. “Today it is a Web-based, modular ERP system. It assists municipalities in financial management, providing a complete spectrum of capabilities to handle the business of running a local government entity.”
Specifically, Nyawane draws attention to billing, budgeting and reporting, valuations and town planning, and business process management through document and workflow management.
“Within our company, we have more than 100 specialists who work exclusively on developing e-Venus, while we also partner with municipalities to understand their requirements and to help customise e-Venus to satisfy their requirements.”
What is of particular importance, given the challenges that face local authorities in the prevailing socio-economic climate, is that the e-Venus system doesn't incur major costs to own and operate.
Says Scholtz: “In terms of the investment, we have enjoyed a good return; our employees are all well-equipped and trained to handle the solution, so we haven't had any real problems which might affect service delivery.”
In the tumultuous technology industry, where change is rapid and constant, he says there are plenty of options available in the market. “We've seen a lot of organisations coming up with new systems and new technology. In this municipality, we believe in sticking with that which works.
“After all, you can't mess with complex IT systems without setting yourself up for some trouble,” Scholtz notes. And if that trouble is going to affect the accuracy of municipal bills and impact on other areas of the operation of the local government entity, he believes it is best avoided.
Being a local solution, says Scholtz, means not only does Sedibeng Municipality take pride in supporting local industry and job creation, it also spends less on its critical systems. “Economies of scale are crucial in the installation of IT systems; we want the best 'bang for buck' in operating, sustaining and maintaining our system, as well as a sound relationship on which we can depend. What we've received is all of that plus quality, which ensures that our investment can deliver for years down the line.”
Turning his attention to the necessity to have the appropriate skills on-board to make best use of municipal management software, Scholtz says he has been particularly impressed with the capabilities that Business Connexion brings together with the e-Venus solution. “With any IT system, training has to form a key component of the package.
“That's always been an inclusive component with Business Connexion; the system itself is designed specifically for South African conditions in general, and our local municipalities in particular.
As such, it is very simple and easy to get our people trained up, especially with regards to the security of certain applications, where authorisations and approvals are necessary,” he says.
Since particular legislation governs the operation of municipal finances - in particular, the Public Finance Management Act, among others - Scholtz makes special mention of the ability for e-Venus to comply: “It meets all our requirements in terms of the legislation around reporting; collating reports is easy, as you can view all issues at the touch of a button and we are thus able do proper credit controlling on the system.”
And while the initial training and set-up for Sedibeng may have taken place over a decade ago, it is never a once-off occurrence. “To this day, we receive ongoing training and support that's considered crucial, since the best system in the world is only as good as the capability of the people working with it, and the support provided by the vendor.”
The real 'proof of the pudding', Scholtz says, lies in how happy the residents of the municipality are with its performance. That's a matter of pride for him. “While we do receive a few queries relating mostly to 'finger trouble' - incorrect input of data - our satisfaction rating is up at 96%.
“While it takes more than just the ERP solution to achieve this rating, it nevertheless forms a cornerstone of our ability as a municipality to deliver service. In turn, that can be put down to on-time and real-time information availability, something we consider vital, and which e-Venus delivers.”
Gumbi says in addition to software, which has stood the test of time, Business Connexion has a long history of successfully addressing local government ICT needs. “Of course, as time passes, these needs change. Business Connexion itself has maintained its position as a relevant, leading solutions provider through acquisition and organic growth. We also keep abreast of market developments to ensure that our solutions are comparable with those of the best in the world.”
And there is something “extra”, too. “We're South African and proud of it; that's a key part of our Connective Intelligence brand position, which sees Business Connexion pulling together the resources of over 5 500 people across the nation with a single-minded goal - to create great value from ICT for our clients, whether in the public or private sectors,” he explains.
What that means on the ground are happy clients. Indeed, so enthused is Scholtz in using a system like e-Venus, which is reliable, predictable and stable, that he believes it is eminently suitable for other government departments.
“Business Connexion has something really good here and just needs to spread the word more about it. It has all the apps and systems required, it is cost-effective and it works - what more do municipalities need?
“Thanks to e-Venus, I can safely say that I have never had sleepless nights around billing.”
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