In an ongoing bid to further the progress of Tshwane as a smart city, the Executive Mayor Dr Gwen Ramokgopa's request has been granted - to set up a project office at The Innovation Hub that will implement its objectives. These offices were officially opened on 16 September 2008, following two years of planning between the city's Local Economic Development Unit and The Innovation Hub.
Butana Mboniswa has been appointed as a director of the Tshwane Smart City Initiative from the beginning of November 2008. Butana has been extensively involved in the science and technology sector, and most recently in biotechnology, having previously held the position of CEO at BioPAD (one of the tenant companies in the Innovation Hub precinct) for several years and also as a technology manager at the CSIR Biosciences division prior to that. He was a scientist at the AECI and an executive director at Decorum Investment Holdings.
Before joining the Tswane Smart City Initiative, Butana managed his own consulting company - Sereko Technology and Innovation - based in Johannesburg. He was initially involved in talks with the Local Economy Department on formations of biotechnology clusters within the region. “The project I plan to implement will not deviate too much from projects I have been involved in during the past. The only changes are that these projects will include ICT and other related areas to enhance the lives of the citizens of our city,” elaborates Mboniswa.
The Smart City Initiative staff will increase to include experts in technology as well as managers to drive business development and marketing activities. Mboniswa anticipates his office will be fully functional in the next 18 months. “The starting point is setting up the office, structures and involving all the stakeholders to ensure that the vision shared by the executive of the city is fully shared by many in Tshwane. We have many things that make us a smart city already, and the role of my team is to further enhance that” concludes Mboniswa.
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