Education, healthcare, and justice are three crucial cornerstones of effective governance. The importance of these pillars is echoed both in our own government’s 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) and in the globally accepted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In shaping the NDP, government was guided by the idea of a ‘decent standard of living, in which all South Africans have access to, among others, safe communities, quality education and effective healthcare. Similarly, SDG 3 calls for Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 4 drives the need for Quality Education, and SDG 16 promotes the importance of Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
“Helping government digitally transform its operations for quicker, more streamlined administration and service delivery is essential for ensuring all South Africans have access to these three cornerstones,” says William Mzimba, Chief Executive Officer of Vodacom Business. “This transformation is part of Vodacom’s own purpose-led journey to connect all for a better future in an inclusive digital society.”
Vodacom’s partnership with government is long-standing, with National Treasury extending the telco’s 2016 mobile communication services contract for another five years in 2021. “Through this collaboration, we’ve helped government become future-ready in pursuit of its goals to bring a decent standard of living to all citizens,” highlights Mzimba.
Digitalising active citizenry for safer communities
Digitising isn’t only about connecting things, but also about connecting people and streamlining processes. This is where mobile platforms like the mySAPS app are key. The app, developed by Vodacom Business in partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS), enables citizens to search for the nearest police station, submit a tip-off, and call a crime-stop number, all in real-time.
“Mobile technology like this has really helped to actively engage members of the community in a collective effort with the SAPS to clamp down on crime,” notes Mzimba. “Since the launch of mySAPS in 2019, the app has gathered momentum, with over 6 700 tip-offs shared by over 124 000 active app users.”
Digitalising healthcare to expedite service delivery
Just as it has proven useful in law-enforcement efforts, mobile technology has been effectively leveraged as a solution for improving critical access to healthcare in Gauteng. This solution came from Mpilo, a healthcare app launched in 2019 by Vodacom Business in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Health. It’s a smart and interactive platform that allows users to report several issues that could impact the quality of service, from waiting times in facilities to safety issues, staff attitudes, and facility cleanliness.
Recently, this popular app was updated to include an ambulance-request capability available to users in emergency situations, with Mpilo accurately detecting users' geolocation. “We also integrated our Fleet Management solution into the Health Department’s ambulance service, making it easier to digitally locate and assign ambulances for faster response times that could save lives,” adds Mzimba.
Aside from public-facing uses, apps can also strengthen stock-level monitoring and administration by healthcare facilities to deliver greater efficiency and medication-dispensing responses. The secure, cloud-based Stock Visibility Solution (SVS) by Vodacom Business provides real-time access to healthcare facilities on stock-level information from their medicine dispensaries. This allows low-stock clinics to be proactively replenished and out-of-stock facilities to receive priority attention, ensuring that patient care isn’t delayed. Since the SVS rollout in 2014, 14 million stock updates have been made by 3 260 public health facilities, highlighting the need for such a solution.
Digitalising learning for inclusive quality education
In 2020, with the pandemic forcing education to be taken online, Stats SA highlighted an alarming statistic: only 11,7% of schools were offering remote learning. Clearly, this put a huge number of learners at a disadvantage, with many dropping out of schooling or falling behind, which disproportionately affected those from rural communities. “While the pandemic shone a spotlight on the digital divide, the gap between online haves and have-nots already existed, and will continue to grow unless measures are put in place,” stresses Mzimba. “Our purpose is to connect everyone is incredibly important in the education arena: our economy depends on our youth being equipped for a digital-first future.”
In partnership with the Department of Basic Education, Vodacom Business tackled this digital divide within six rural schools across three provinces at the start of the year. The partnership saw the implementation of the Virtual Classroom Solution, which entails setting up Wi-Fi at schools over a secure cloud-based SD-WAN network, providing students and educators with devices, and training educators to ensure learners benefit from the newly enabled connectivity. “These classrooms of the future will democratise access to education while equipping learners with the necessary digital literacy and skills for future jobs,” adds Mzimba.
“Leveraging the power of technology to digitally transform the way we deliver services and meet citizen needs will unlock greater efficiency and effectiveness,” Mzimba concludes. “At Vodacom, we’re acutely aware of the transformative power of the digital world and will continue to uplift society through it. This collaboration with government is one example of the many applications of mobile technology, and its ability to drive the decent standard of living we all deserve.”
