The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has admitted to multiple setbacks in rolling out its smart city ambitions – citing issues such as “fragmented initiatives and insufficient governance structures”.
Now, with its 2025/26 draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the municipality says it will renew its strategic focus on digitaltransformation and infrastructure.
In the draft IDP, which was made available for public comment on Monday, the city lists a range of challenges that have hindered progress. These include ineffective governance structures, poor planning, an outdated ICT environment, and no mayoral agreement for implementation plans. The document also notes the city has not been able to keep “abreast of new technologies”.
The city’s plan notes that “the smart city strategy is under review for mayoral approval”. Johannesburg has seen several mayoral changes over the past few years, adding to the policy uncertainty.
The IDP sets out a renewed focus on building the digital foundations needed to support service delivery and urban competitiveness. “There is a need for a renewed strategic focus on strengthening infrastructure, governance and digital transformation,” the plan states, reaffirming that transforming Johannesburg into a smart city is now a strategic priority.
The draft notes the Joburg 2040 vision aims to position the city as a “world-class African city” through the integration of smart innovations and technology. The strategy also aims to overcome apartheid-era and township underdevelopment by restoring neglected areas and building a globally-competitive urban foundation.
“For residents, the success of an integrated smart city depends on five core pillars, namely reliable digital infrastructure, affordable connectivity, digital skills, local content and data collection,” the IDP states. “The COJ is committed to become a smart city that embraces ICT innovation as a force for good. We will use intelligent predictive modelling and data for smart decision-making, good infrastructure and economic growth.”
To drive implementation, the Smart City Office has evolved its approach from a 10-point integrated programme, to 20 smart city focus areas. These include digital connectivity, smart citizen engagement, a digital and smart economy, open and unified data governance, as well as smart technology, parks and buildings. The city also aims to address spatial inequalities through innovation.
Among its current goals, COJ is targeting 30 active smart city focus areas in the 2025/26 financial year and aims to achieve 100% digitisation of government services by 2026.
By the end of the 2023/24 financial year, 51 smart city initiatives had been implemented, supported by an adjusted budget of R913 million. For the 2025/26 financial year, which began this month, over R300 million has been budgeted to support various smart city interventions. These include replacing traffic signal infrastructure, rolling out smart prepaid meters, deploying CCTV cameras, and implementing new software systems across departments.
Planned initiatives over the next 18 months include implementing a WiFi rollout plan to expand access in townships, informal settlements and central business districts; executing an ICT infrastructure renewal plan; developing and tracking a global smart city programme assessment plan; and rolling out the SAP business transformation programme.
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