South Africa, sadly, has one of the highest violent crime rates in the world, especially towards women and children. The Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) is looking to promote the use of technology to address matters of safety and security. This initiative — known as SafetyTech — is part of a suite of programmes collectively called DashTech which have the overarching goals of creating jobs and wealth sustainably and inclusively by drawing on the Western Cape’s position as Africa’s leading digital hub.
SafetyTech incorporates all technology-focused systems and processes, hardware, software,56 and resources that contribute to the creation of an environment where adverse incidents are minimised, and citizens are able to lead lives free from fear of personal harm or asset loss. SafetyTech not only includes SecurityTech, which can be used to bring down crime rates but also other technologies related to critical infrastructures such as food and water, power, transportation, waste disposal, and communications, which could compromise the safety of citizens should they fail. The national government has pledged R700-billion towards the development of infrastructure, including broadband and digital connectivity, which will be conducive for the advancement of SafetyTech in South Africa.
To grow the Cape’s SafetyTech sector, DEDAT invites startups in this sphere to join and participate in the upcoming Community of Practice (CoP) workshops, powered by The Loudhailer and Silicon Cape, which will be taking place over the remainder of the financial year. Communities of Practice are an opportunity for groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do to come together to learn how to do it better. These workshops will allow SafetyTech sector members to connect with, support, challenge and learn from their peers for mutual benefit. Well-facilitated and inclusive CoPs have been shown to be effective in supporting knowledge transfer, problem-solving, leveraging resources for shared benefit, advocacy and collaboration. Essentially, the goal is to get the ecosystem to work together. The first CoP event takes place on Wednesday, 18 November 2020.
Other countries around the world are starting to adopt similar initiatives. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom announced the launch of a new network to bring together the UK’s safety tech sector to encourage collaboration and discussion. At the time, the Safety Tech Innovation Network was the world’s first forum for companies that concentrate on making online spaces safer. Caroline Dinenage, the UK’s Minister for Digital and Culture, said that the strength and growth potential of this emerging sector will play a key role in achieving the aim of the UK being the safest place in the world to go online and will help spur new economic growth as part of the country’s recovery from the pandemic.
Similarly, DEDAT’s Dash-Tech Project seeks to harness the strengths and interconnectedness of the local tech ecosystem to solve some of the province’s most pressing problems and open up opportunities for the Western Cape digital economy.