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How MunicipalAlert works

Residents report faults to the City of Tshwane — and everyone can see what was reported, what the City said, and what is fixed.

  1. 1
    Report it. Take a photo, put the pin on the place, choose what it is. An AI suggests a description from the photo — you check it and change it.
  2. 2
    You send it — from you. MunicipalAlert writes the email (or the SMS, for power failures) to the right City address. You send it from your own email or phone, so the City knows a real resident is asking and replies to you. A copy goes to MunicipalAlert's mailbox, so the City's reference number comes back to the map.
  3. 3
    Everyone can see it. Your report goes on the public map (your name never does). Neighbours with the same problem say “me too”, which makes it bigger on the map and harder to ignore.
  4. 4
    Fixed is fixed when residents say so. Residents at the place say “it's fixed” with a photo, or “still broken”. When enough of them agree — or the person who reported it says so — it turns green.
Emergencies first. Fire, flooding, exposed live wires, anyone in danger: call 107 (or 012 358 9999) — don't stop to fill in a report.

Tips for a report the City can act on

  • A photo of the fault, and one of where it is — a landmark, a house number, or the number painted on the pole.
  • The exact place. Stand at the fault and use your location, or drag the pin to the spot. Add a landmark (“outside the Spar”, “corner of Church and Lilian Ngoyi”).
  • The numbers the City asks for: the lamp pole number for a street light, the meter or erf number for a leak at a meter, your municipal account number for a power failure (that stays private — it only goes to the City).
  • One fault per report. Two broken street lights on one street are two poles: two reports.
  • Already on the map? Say “me too” instead of reporting it again — the City sees how many people it affects.
  • Keep people's faces and number plates out of the photos. Photos that show them are checked by a moderator before they appear.
  • When the City replies with a reference number, add it to the report (paste the SMS or email) — then everyone can quote it.
  • No progress after a week or two? “Follow it up” writes a polite email to customer care and your ward councillor.

Who runs it

MunicipalAlert is not run by the City of Tshwane. It sends your reports to the City's own published channels — the same email addresses and SMS line the City asks residents to use — and keeps a public record of what happens next. See the City's other channels.

Privacy

  • Your report is public; you are not. The photos, the place, the description and the City's reference are on the map. Your name, email address, phone number and account number never are.
  • Where you are is used only while you report a fault or say whether something is fixed. For a fix, only your distance from it is kept — never a history of where you've been.
  • The AI description of your photo can be wrong and is not legal advice. You can change or remove it before you send.
  • We never sell your information. You can ask to see, correct or delete it.
The full terms of use and privacy notice

MunicipalAlert — terms of use and privacy notice (version 2026-10-21)

1. What MunicipalAlert does. MunicipalAlert helps residents report faults in municipal infrastructure — burst pipes, street lights, potholes, power outages, sewage, dumping — to their municipality, and shows everyone on a public map what has been reported, what the municipality said, and what has been fixed.

2. Your report is public; you are not. The fault you report — its photos, its place, its description, the reference number the municipality gave and its progress — is shown on the public map so others can see that it is known and add their support. Your name, email address, phone number and account number are never shown publicly. Don't photograph people's faces or number plates; photos that show them are kept off the map until a moderator has checked them.

3. You send it, from you. The email or SMS to the municipality is written for you, but you send it from your own email or phone, so the municipality knows it comes from a real resident and replies to you. A copy goes to MunicipalAlert's mailbox so the municipality's reference number can be added to the report.

4. Where you are. MunicipalAlert uses your phone's location only while you report a fault or say whether something is fixed: the place of the fault is kept with the report, and when you confirm a fix only your distance from it is kept. We never keep a history of where you have been.

5. AI descriptions. An AI service suggests a description of your photo, who it affects and laws or by-laws that MAY be relevant. It can be wrong; it is not legal advice. You can change or remove it before you send.

6. What we keep. We keep your account (name, email address), your reports, photos, the support you gave and the fixes you confirmed, to run the service, under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We never sell your information. You can ask to see, correct or delete it by emailing [[FILL: privacy contact email]]. Our information officer is [[FILL: name]].

7. Fair use. Report real faults only. Don't report the same fault twice — say "me too" instead. Don't use MunicipalAlert to harass anyone, municipal staff included. Emergencies (fire, flood, life in danger): call 107 first.

8. Changes. We'll ask you to accept these terms again when they change.

[[FILL: company legal name, registration number, address — these terms must be reviewed by a lawyer before MunicipalAlert is offered to the public.]]