Empowering residents: how CityMenderSA transforms civic engagement

Keyuren Maharaj, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, recently launched a new system that helps residents log service delivery issues called CityMenderSA. 

It is South Africa’s first no-registration, free public civic reporting platform with an interactive map.

“CityMenderSA does not just collect complaints, but we are building a publicly accessible database of infrastructure issues that shows exactly where the system is failing," said Maharaj, of Glenwood. 

"Every report creates multiple data points, every update tells a story, and the interactive map lets residents, councillors and community organisations see the full picture and not just isolated problems.”

He said the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA) was one of the first in the country to test out the community reporting system. 

“Our team, together with ERRA, will set up a meeting with municipalities to show that the application was designed to be easy to use and it would help residents and municipalities to identify and understand how they can improve service delivery."

CityMenderSA allows anyone to log issues like potholes, broken street lights, water leaks, blocked drains and illegal dumping. 

“Residents just need to drop a pin on an interactive map, choosing the issue type, and submit a description (and photograph if needed). You get a reference number and can track and update the issue publicly. You can create a thread of the issue's history that you can download as a PDF. It is about giving power back to residents and making service delivery visible and transparent.”

The application has portals that allow local governments to manage reports in real time, assign issues to departments, and send updates back to residents, as well as various other tools. 

“These portals will be packed with functionality. The awesome part is that it is built with residents in mind. The system is universal across South Africa, meaning that wherever you travel, you will be able to log issues, which creates active citizenship and will  impact the current service delivery failures of the country.”

Maharaj said the idea came from years of being frustrated as a resident and ratepayer. 

“I’m also the chairperson of the Glenwood Ratepayers and Residents Association and am on the board of ERRA. We kept seeing the same issues go unresolved. No one knew if something had been logged, where to follow up, or who was responsible. There was no transparency and no reference trail. So I decided to build a solution that could be used by everyone."

He said it took months of self-taught coding and research, well over 300 000 lines of code, more than 120 versions, and hundreds of hours of development to complete the application. 

“I am still actively developing and improving it. So in many ways, it has been a full-time journey alongside my studies." 

The pilot of the application went live in June and is now fully operational.  

“We are currently in discussion with the eThekwini Municipality to roll out a dedicated portal that will allow them to manage issues more efficiently. We are offering this to them at no cost for a test period. It’s a chance for them to lead the way in digital governance."

Anyone can access and use the application or the website. 

“You don’t need to create an account, which makes it especially useful for people in rural or lower-connectivity areas. We do not share any personal data, and all the issue data can be used to pick up on trends like cable theft, old water pipes, etc. We will even be able to use the data to help municipalities budget for service delivery and infrastructure repairs."

Ish Prahladh, the chairperson of ERRA, said: “CityMenderSA is an awesome app. We have contacted the mayor's office to meet with our team, so we can show them how effective this app is." 

CityMenderSA can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

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