eGovernment for Development

Success/Failure Case Study No.11

Durban Council's Community Information Link

Case Study Author

Anonymous

Application

Community Information Link (CIL) was a project initiated by Durban Metropolitan Unicity Council. It used an existing public library network reaching 40 public libraries, to provide Web-based community and council information via a client/server network - a webserver (IIS) serving client PCs (using Citrix thin client) with touchscreens and a browser.

Application Description

The application (based on needs analysis surveys) included a database of community service organisations which was loosely enough defined to include small for-profit services. The database was moderated by the librarian in each of the libraries and was populated by means of community information collection (telephonic), by the library staff, and also by any members of the public who wished to enter the details of community service organisations they were involved in. The latter were checked and then "made live" by the librarian moderator. The application also included a job-finder which allowed for capture and printing of a CV, and webforms for advertising for job applicants as well as employers looking for applicants (to enhance local employment). Other Web-based facilities included classified adverts, and "what's on in your library".

Application Purpose

The objectives of CIL were three-fold:

• to improve quality of life of the (often impoverished) communities around the libraries by providing access to survival information in both Zulu and English;
• to support provision of council services by raising the profile of what was being offered to communities who had not previously received much in the way of local government services; and
• to provide a technology platform and channel to residents of the city who would otherwise not have access to ICT; as a skills enhancing service, and to give them a voice.

The application was also intended to enhance the democratic process and thus provided access to councillor's details and various means of input to the local government departments, e.g. to report faulty streetlights, etc.

Stakeholders

Residents of Durban who were at or below the poverty line were envisaged as the main beneficiaries, though the council itself was also to benefit from the opportunity to provide information about the (rateable) services offered, when many ratepayers were not paying because they did not know what services were available. Library staff were the other main stakeholder group.

Impact: Costs and Benefits

The pilot project only was rolled out to 18 libraries. Hardware and licence costs were US$170,000; software costs under US$5,000; telecom line rental costs were about US$90 per month per library. The benefits to the residents would be difficult to quantify but are unlikely to be significant. There was very little use of the CIL system: users wanted access to Microsoft Office and the Internet rather than the community information. The community information provided was only ever provided in English, not Zulu or any other language, and it had little relevance to improving quality of life in the target communities. Intended benefits for the council were not achieved, with little or on council information put online and no interaction between community members and councillors. There was one unexpected benefit: the funding of the second/main stage of the project by the Carnegie Foundation to the tune of US$0.7 million! However, the aims changed for this second stage, and the money is being used to provide Internet access to all 60 libraries in the Unicity, with no particular community content focus.

Evaluation: Failure or Success?

In terms of its initially-stated objectives, the project was largely unsuccessful, verging on a total failure. By 2002, Community Information Link no longer existed, and the equipment allocated to it was being reassigned for other purposes. Its main value was in leveraging the funding from the Carnegie Foundation.

Enablers/Critical Success Factors

1. Funding . The project was well funded by Durban Metro North Central Council, one of six within the Unicity (now eThekwini Municipal Council).
2. Ownership . There was good ownership of the project within the Metropolitan Public Library service.

3. Simplicity of technology . It was relatively easy to create suitable applications and content for CIL using the available Web technologies.

Constraints/Challenges

1. Lack of HR capacity . Due to frozen posts and lack of funding for personnel, libraries were running at about 50% capacity. This restricted the ability of library staff to support community users of CIL; yet those users - often being exposed to ICTs for the first time; often with low literacy levels - needed considerable assistance.
2. Lack of support . Lack of support from the highest level in the library system trickled down to a lack of support and project ownership by many library staff, limiting the drive to reach out with the system into local communities. There was also lack of understanding and support for the project within the Council, leading to resistance to opening channels of communication with the public.

Recommendations

1. Understand e-government projects as exercises in change management . Thus, adopt broader change management practices that deal with issues such as resistance, and politics .
2. Pay close attention to organisational politics . Consult key stakeholders and get their participation and buy-in; particularly within the organisation. Ensure that there is a senior executive to champion the project, who can override petty, self-interested obstacles to work toward the greater good.
3. Understand the difference between needs and wants . Community information may have been what local communities needed (though not necessarily delivered digitally), but projects succeed - at least when first introducing users to ICTs - by providing what communities want: in this case, easy access to the Internet, to email and to word processing.

Further Information

n/a

Case Details

Author Data Sources/Role : Direct Role.
Outcome : Largely Unsuccessful (Total Failure). Reform : eSociety (community development).
Sector : Social Services (Libraries, Information and Broadcasting).
Region : Southern Africa. Start Date : 1999. Submission Date : August 2002