Mobile data penetration is expanding as well, with Africa being seen as the largest growing mobile market globally - there really is a lot of opportunity presenting itself. In light of this, and considering the political climate of South Africa, surely then there should be a mobile platform that can bring together political opinions? Or better yet, a platform that can ask citizens of the country to vote on actions of the government.
Democracy in its pure form requires that citizens vote for a government that will serve their interests. As it happens, governments sometimes do things that are not seen as beneficial for the majority, or at least they are made to come across like that. Imagine if there was an application that asked citizens if they were for, against or unsure about eTolls, Nkandla, hospitals being built, budgets being spent and so on. Citizens would then be given two weeks to respond, the results would be displayed, and the depending on the outcome, the bill, project or tender would then be passed or denied.
This could be extended to a local municipality where a question could be asked about the priority areas that need to be upgraded. Or perhaps a notice that about upcoming tenders, meetings and notices about forthcoming electricity or water outages. This would not only save paper and money on advertising but also streamline the process.
There might be concerns of mobile phones not being available, but this wont be the case in two years time where it is predicted that every family will have access to a mobile phone in South Africa. Perhaps data may be an issue, but as I gather, free data is becoming widely available and progressively cheaper.
There is then an opportunity to be innovative and exceptional with delivering notices that concern the public at large, and why not have a head start and be a government that leads public relations.