His Worship, Councillor, Prince, Thuso Moyo, Mayor of City of Victoria Falls, outlines the city's post-2020 infrastructure upgrades, community-driven tourism recovery strategies, robust digital platforms for transparent service delivery, and promising opportunities for partnerships to build a smart, green city by 2030.

The city, upgraded from town status in 2020, has launched a US$15 million WASH project—raising US$4.5 million through stands sales—to construct 5 million and 750,000-liter water reservoirs, improving supply despite infrastructure lags.

Tourism, employing 90% of residents, suffered severe COVID-19 setbacks with business closures, prompting strategies like small business stands in areas like Kishasa, youth skills training to curb substance abuse, and support for vulnerable groups.

Digital transformation is central to enhancing transparency, efficiency, and global accessibility: leveraging platforms like Facebook (for live-streaming updates), WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok, a chatbot, and website for resident engagement; enabling seamless online payments via EcoCash and internet banking; and allowing remote applications for housing, tenders, and licenses - even for diaspora residents. A dedicated new planning department and submitted master plan further embed initiatives like digital signages, positioning the city as a tech-forward hub to attract international investors and streamline operations toward sustainability goals.

Partnerships with NGOs like PRI for city cleaning and MOUs with community leaders advance the 2030 vision of a smart green city - the cleanest by then -fostering investments like four to five new hotels.

Challenges include bureaucratic delays in ministry approvals, but no major political instability; the peaceful environment attracts global tourists and funds, prioritising tourism as one of Africa's seven wonders.

We discuss key initiatives driving change, including improving financial management and assurance in municipalities, prioritising performance management, advancing professionalisation, enhancing policy implementation, promoting sustainable change, and how the annual Local Government Conversations webinar series by Future Cities Africa fosters collaboration and improves municipal practices.

Uncover key lessons from Harare's growth and the role of ordinary people in driving urban change.

My guest today is Davison Muchadenyika, Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank Group and author of The Making of an African City.

He's worked with many governments across Africa to build sustainable, inclusive cities.

Welcome to the Local Government Innovation Series on Future Cities Africa, presented by Business Engineering.

Mayor Ralph Nyasha Maoneyi of Kariba Municipality, Zimbabwe, introduces Kariba as a tourism-driven town with a rich history linked to the Kariba Dam.

He discusses key service delivery initiatives, including the Polyclinic and school expansions, challenged by only 12% devolution fund disbursements, leading to local resource reliance.

The economic downturn and tourism decline are tackled with a revival strategy focusing on airport upgrades, road rehabilitation, and private-sector-led accommodation and adventure zones.

Digitally, Kariba innovates with a chatbot for complaints or requests, a GIS system for mapping, and a housing module for profiling, boosting transparency and planning.

Looking ahead, Maoneyi sees opportunities in water, energy partnerships, investment, and city-to-city diplomacy for smart, sustainable growth.

Presented by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership

Episode Guests
Rirhandzu Marivate, Programs Manager at the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust
Jacqui Samson, professional planner and owner of J Samson Consultancy.

Episode Summary

The episode highlights Bellville as Cape Town’s second-largest CBD and a major transport interchange, attracting over 90,000 daily commuters. This bustling hub fosters a vibrant informal food trading system that provides accessible, culturally diverse food options, enhancing food security for residents and commuters.

The market’s informal traders form a symbiotic relationship with the formal retail sector, creating a dynamic supply-and-demand network that supports local businesses and commuters alike. Key challenges for traders include inadequate infrastructure (e.g., lack of storage, electricity, and sanitation), safety concerns, and cumbersome permitting processes.

The AfriFoodLinks project, in collaboration with the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, is addressing these through innovative solutions like prototyping food vending structures, improving waste management with black soldier fly facilities, and introducing capacity-building programs for food safety compliance. These initiatives aim to create dignified, hygienic, and sustainable trading environments.

The discussion also covers urban planning’s role in integrating innovations like cashless systems, mobile trading structures, and enhanced waste management to support traders. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership’s market management model and sustainability efforts, such as organic waste processing for composting, aim to empower traders to adopt greener practices. Co-design with vendors ensures these solutions are contextually appropriate, fostering trust and community ownership.

The episode concludes with reflections on the informal economy’s social ecosystem, where traders operate with a “social license” despite regulatory challenges. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership’s goal to become a knowledge hub offers a scalable model for supporting informal traders across South African cities, emphasising technology (e.g., e-services, AI, and Wi-Fi access) and stakeholder collaboration to enhance business operations and urban resilience.

Welcome to the Local Government Innovation Series on Future Cities Africa, presented by Business Engineering.

Nestled in the heart of Namaqualand, Kamiesberg is addressing rural challenges with innovative strategies, blending digital advancements and community-driven solutions.

Let’s dive into their journey of transformation, service delivery, and community connection!

Welcome to another insightful episode on Future Cities Africa. In this episode we’ll explore Our Future Cities’s Framework for Great Places, shaping vibrant, equitable African cities through place-led development.

We cover its core components, real-world applications, community co-creation, policy influence, global insights, and a bold vision for Africa’s urban future.

Rashiq Fataar, CEO of Our Future Cities, discusses the organisation's framework for creating vibrant, equitable African cities through place-led development. The framework consists of four core components: Place of Mind (functional spaces like transport hubs), Place of Heart (emotionally significant places), Design and Function (practical elements like seating and Wi-Fi), and People and Stewardship (active community involvement and management). These elements must work together, underpinned by an understanding of societal context, to create meaningful urban spaces.

Rashiq shares real-world applications, such as the Regent Road project in Sea Point, where the framework revealed a need to enhance the "place of heart" despite strong design and function. He also highlights the role of informality as a strength in African cities, citing examples like vibrant informal markets and a drug harm reduction center in Durban that naturally became a placemaking hub.

The framework informs policy advocacy by demonstrating practical solutions, such as pedestrian crossing art in Cape Town to improve safety, though Rashiq notes South Africa still lacks place-led thinking at a national level. Global insights from cities like Torino and New York have shaped the framework, emphasising the importance of density and quality public spaces, but it remains tailored to African contexts by starting with local societal conditions.

Looking ahead, Rashiq envisions African cities evolving through inclusive placemaking, urging stakeholders to make placemaking "everyone’s work" and foster unusual collaborations to empower communities. The episode underscores the need for a holistic, community-driven approach to urban development in Africa.

Introduction

In this episode of the ‘Local Government Innovation Series’, the deputy Municipal Manager and ICT Manager of Kouga Municipality discuss their digital transformation journey, emphasising leadership strategies and improved service delivery.

Episode Overview

Welcome to the Local Government Innovation Series on Future Cities Africa, presented by Business Engineering.

Over the past 18 months, Kouga has revolutionised its IT environment by adopting innovative technologies like drones for community safety, electronic bulk meter reading for electricity, and the Collaborator platform for document and policy management. These tools have improved transparency, service delivery, and operational efficiency.

Key initiatives include a new customer care system with WhatsApp integration, live service delivery dashboards, and digitised processes for building plans and GIS functions. The municipality has also prioritised cybersecurity and embraced AI to enhance data accessibility.

Leadership strategies focus on openness, with the mayor engaging the public through regular feedback sessions and live-streamed council meetings.

Despite challenges like change management and data integrity, Kouga is committed to a citizen-centric approach, ensuring inclusivity and trust through proactive, technology-driven governance.