HIT system could address billing chaos in Harare

Suburban Reporter

AS THE City of Harare continues dithering on buying a new enterprise resource system (ERP) to address shambolic billing, the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) has offered to assist the municipality with a locally developed system.

HIT its locally developed but internationally recognised ERP will address the city’s financial management, property oversight, parking and other financial requirements.

The HIT system is already deployed in Mutare and Masvingo cities but Harare previously brushed the billing system aside seeking a far more expensive one from a South African supplier.

The Harare Commission of Inquiry this week called in HIT to give evidence and HIT Registrar Mr Herbert Njonga and Engineer Tererai Maphosa, the director of the Local Authorities Digital Systems (LADS) Africa, a HIT start-up, came to give evidence.

The commission sought HIT’s findings on the governance of Harare City Council, particularly after it was revealed that HIT had previously offered the council its proven LADS system for US$350 000 to integrate its departments into a centralised system.

LADS had already been successfully deployed in Mutare and Masvingo, with around 83 of the 92 local authorities using at least one module of the system. It would be scaled up for Harare.

Despite being previously overlooked by the Harare City Council, Mr Njonga reaffirmed HIT’s readiness to provide its expertise.

“The Harare Institute of Technology, as a public entity, remains available to assist the City of Harare through a home-grown but internationally recognised solution,” he said.

Mr Njonga said an effective ERP system would help the city accurately manage its financial records and support decision-making processes.

He pointed out the City Council’s porous revenue collection system and recommended the adoption of smart technologies, including pipe leak detection, smart water metering, and geo-fencing for informal traders.

Mr Njonga noted that a Government audit had directed the City of Harare to implement an ERP system to improve its control and accountability, a recommendation that has yet to be acted upon due to concerns about cost and finding a suitable solution.

He expressed concern over the city’s ongoing revenue losses attributed to the absence of an ERP system. In response to criticisms regarding LADS’s capability to manage a large city like Harare, Engineer Maphosa strongly refuted these claims, describing them as unfounded statements made by non-users likely intimidated by the system’s effectiveness.

“I have been waiting for that question. We propose engaging an international organisation to certify our systems because we have been victims of such statements. The technology we use is the same that Facebook employed when it started, and it can handle millions of records,” he said.

The LADS system automates several local authority services, including financials, administration, engineering, land management, and social services, while linking them to the national public financial management system.

This comprehensive system features 38 modules organised into six key categories, including financial management, billing, asset management, procurement, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and debt checking, offering a holistic solution for local authorities’ digital needs.