Tau talks smart, Soweto toyi-toyis

07 May 2015 - 02:20 By Olebogeng Molatlhwa and Kingdom Mabuza

Plans to turn Johannesburg into a "smart city" are being met with violent resistance in some quarters and enthusiasm in others. While Mayor Parks Tau was tabling ambitious plans yesterday to roll out smart meters and free Wi-Fi across the city, Soweto residents took to the streets.Residents were protesting against the forced installation of prepaid electricity meters in some sections of the township.Residents ignored Tau's annual State of the City address - delivered in Braamfontein, Johannesburg - instead choosing to burn tyres on the streets of Orlando West.Eskom is owed R4-billion in arrears by Sowetans.In an effort to force residents in the township to pay for electricity, the power utility has given them an option to take up prepaid meters in exchange for a debt write-off.But support for the initiative has not been forthcoming.Soweto alone owes Eskom nearly the same amount in electricity arrears as at least 20 other municipalities throughout the country.The council precinct was a far cry from the chaos of Soweto, with Tau detailing plans to forge ahead with plans to expand access to the internet throughout the city - beginning in Braamfontein."We are in the process of blanketing Braamfontein with Wi-Fi that provides high-speed broadband access, parts of which are live right now," Tau said."This goes beyond hotspot access at specific buildings ."The city was on the verge of agreeing to a settlement with Ericsson SA over the stalled Johannesburg Broadband Network, which cost R1-billion, Tau said. Other smart city plans tabled by Tau include:Installing smart meters allowing the city to remotely control consumption to avoid load-shedding;Providing recognised online courses with links to internationally renowned universities;Establishing Tshimologong Precinct, an area in Braamfontein dedicated to digital start-ups in partnership with Wits University;Upgraded CCTV cameras throughout the city;Installing low-flushing toilets and urinals to save water, andIncreasing the electricity generating capacity of Kelvin Power Station from 200MW to 600MW while also allowing residents to feed surplus electricity back into the grid.Back in Soweto, the few residents who sat at the adjacent Thokoza Park to listen to Tau's speech remained hopeful that their conditions would change for the better."The mayor means well and we have seen some changes in the township but we need jobs," said Mirriam Mthambo.Tau also addressed suggestions that foreigners were taking away economic opportunities from locals." Migrants who come here to work ... to build businesses and offer services are unambiguously good for this city," he said...

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