The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) covers 15,6% of Gauteng’s land mass and accounts for 26% of the population of Gauteng, making it sub-Saharan Africa’s most economically powerful region.
Considering the scope of the Ekurhuleni municipality, the processes behind executing day-to-day municipal activities – both internal and external – has proved challenging especially when considering that processes were previously implemented through limited automated means.
Over the past year, the EMM has introduced various technology solutions through Software AG that has helped elevate the municipality to a centre of digital process excellence.
“We are the first South African municipality to have implemented a process-driven indigent management program,” said Vuyani Zwane, Requirements Management and Solutions Delivery Manager at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
“Others looking to solve similar municipal challenges have typically sought an Enterprise Resource Planning approach to Business Process Management but our strategy was an integrated approach with Software AG. Many others started earlier than us, spent more money and still have yet to see results. We think with our processes, approach and intellectual property, we can do something completely different – leverage these to assist other municipalities and generate revenue opportunities for Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.”
Software AG assisted EMM with automating processes around its call center, as well as various other technology processes across five departments including Human Resources; Energy; Fleet Management; Corporate and Legal; and Growth and Development.
Mohamed Cassoojee, Software AG South Africa’s vice-president and country manager comments, “We are extremely pleased to have been able to offer the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality tangible business solutions that will help the municipality meet its immediate needs, but solutions that will also have the company poised and ready for future business demands that can be massively aided through the use of technology.
“Software AG’s focus to help business become technologically successful and operational is evident in our partnership with the team at Ekurhuleni and we look forward to the end consumer experience being transformed through these new solutions.”
EMM has experienced various successes from the new technology solutions implemented. Software AG’s BPM-SOA technology reduced EMM’s indigent management process from 90 days to only 21. The municipality’s application landscape has also been streamlined, removing over 100 duplicate or unnecessary processes – decreasing it from 165 to only 65.
By adopting Software AG’s application strategy, EMM can avoid an over-complicated architecture by identifying duplication of applications and technologies.
Software AG’s Application Portfolio Management solution also allows EMM to re-use services created for common applications, which in turn reduces costs associated with unnecessary business complexity.
Through its partnership with Software AG, EMM is officially E-Government operational too.
EMM has automated several of its processes for an online, self-service offering to citizens. These E-Government services will not only empower the citizens of Ekurhuleni, but save them time and travel costs. To date, rezoning; building plans and waste management services have been automated with further services to be added in the future.
Due to the vast successes achieved, EMM is currently executing various projects in partnership with Software AG including, but not limited to:
* Integrating internal systems, including Finance, Human Resources and Fleet;
* Integrating the external systems of EMM’s departments, including the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Human Settlement and SASSA;
* Automating processes for EMM’s City Planning and Energy departments;
* Implementing an online e-Services strategy for a self-service offering to citizens.
