Smart City Readiness in South African Municipalities: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study investigated the meaning of a smart city concept, the limitations of municipal role players to adopt the smart city, and the recommendations to facilitate the adoption of a smart city concept in the municipalities of the North West province. A qualitative research approach was adopted to collect data from the participants, which facilitated adequate interactions with the participants through open-ended interviews. Twenty participants were selected purposively to participate in this study through an online platform. Data were analysed using Atlas-ti software (version 8.2), themes and categories were generated and discussed. Findings from the study depict that a smart city concept entails a city that enables communication using advanced technology, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Findings further revealed that the limitation of achieving a smart city in South African municipalities includes a lack of financial resources, inadequate infrastructure, delays in the decision-making process, lack of strategic leadership, corruption of role players, inability to implement research outcomes, and lack of investors. The study recommended, inter alia, that the municipal leadership should encourage techno-centric governance, a source for external funding, engage knowledgeable strategic leaders, facilitate public education, and SMME ICT inclusive strategy.