The City of Johannesburg has launched the #Hack.Jozi Challenge, calling on citizens to submit ideas that will turn Jozi into the city they want to live in.
Explains Zolani Matebese, the head of broadband at the City of Johannesburg: “Your digital solution to a problem in Jozi could be the ticket to launching your start-up. With prizes valued at R5-million at stake, the #Hack.Jozi Challenge wants to find the most innovative digital ideas to enrich the lives of the people of Jo’burg.”
Participants don’t need to have technical experience, as the campaign is seen as an opportunity to formulate partnerships. #Hack.Jozi could assist idea-makers to find technical partners who can help them move forward to the next round, should their idea be selected.
Application takes the form of a YouTube video and online application form. The deadline for entries is 6 March 2015.
Issues that can be addressed include everything from access to healthcare to affordable education. “If you have an idea about how you can use technology to help your community, we want to hear from you,” says Matebese.
The #Hack.Jozi Challenge is an initiative between the City of Johannesburg and the Jo’burg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits University. Award winners will leverage IBM’s Bluemix, a cloud-based platform which is an open-standards platform for building, managing and running apps of all types such as web, mobile, big data and smart devices, provided as-a-service in the cloud.
