2026 SAG Award Winners

Polokwane Municipality

Project Goal

Municipalities are entitled to manage local issues with absolute focus, covering air quality control, building regulations, childcare facilities, energy services, firefighting services, local tourism, municipal planning, public transport, water, sanitation etc. To deliver services effectively and achieve the ambitious 2030 Smart City vision, Polokwane Municipality is implementing an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) that will transform operations.
The Integrated Geographic Information System is crucial for meeting the municipality’s needs and will serve as a fundamental catalyst to: Significantly reduce application processing times, Enhance service delivery and management efficiencies, Improve accuracy and reliability across all processes, Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, Guarantee data security at all levels, Minimize paperwork to enhance efficiency, Increase transparency and accountability ,Seamlessly integrate with existing municipal systems.
Learn more about us
Learn more about our application: Site 1 | Site 2

Business Problem Solved

The municipality has been shackled by outdated manual processes for land development applications and building plans, causing unacceptable delays in decision-making. This inefficiency has led to qualified audit opinions due to the absence of streamlined processes in handling development applications. The frequent loss of documents has resulted in a lack of accountability and significant litigation risks due to non-compliance with legally mandated processing timeframes. The absence of a tracking system for aligning development with engineering infrastructure availability and requisite authorizations has further exacerbated these issues. The Polokwane GIS team took a decisive action to develop a comprehensive system to rectify these shortcomings. A detailed project document and terms of reference were established to guide this transformation. All application types will be automated to prompt for all necessary information, ensuring efficient process that guarantees timely communication.

Technology Implemented

AFLA (ArcGIS for Local Municipalities) is Esri South Africa’s municipal solution that enables citizens and internal staff to submit, track, and view town planning applications, building plans, property information, and related spatial data through a secure web interface. In this streamlined configuration, ArcGIS Enterprise serves as the central backbone of the entire solution. It delivers all core GIS and spatial capabilities including interactive web mapping, spatial analysis, feature services, geoprocessing, and geospatial data management—that power every functional module of the AFLA Portal and Viewer applications. ArcGIS Server, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Workflow Manager, ArcGIS Data Store (Relational) and Web Adaptor (installed on IIS).
How ArcGIS Enterprise Ties into the AFLA Portal
Public Portal / Internal Staff Flow Browser ? Web Adaptor ? AFLA Portal Viewer ? ArcGIS Enterprise.

Development Team Biography

Lungi Nkosi Corporate Geo-Informatics Manager, oversees all aspects of enterprise GIS strategy and implementation. Ndivhaleni Nevondo GIS Specialist, designing and implementing GIS solutions that support municipal operations. Mokibelo Ngobeni Survey Technician: cadastral surveying, GIS, spatial data management. Kholwani Baloyi Survey Technician: geomatics, integrating surveying, GIS. Phuti Kgomo GIS Technician data collection, analyzing, updating GIS datasets. Kataki Matlou GIS Technician: geodatabase management, spatial modeling, mapping for Water, Sanitation, and Planning SBU. Ramoraswi Maja Candidate GIS Professional: application development, goedatabase management, spatial analysis. Thorisho Noko Candidate GIS Technician: spatial analysis, cadastral information management, GIS-based solutions for development planning. Austin Southern Candidate GIS Technician: data collection, spatial analysis, visualization. Phuti Tsholo Admin Assistant: office management, GIS client Queries.

Company Overview

The Polokwane Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is one of four municipalities in the district and covers just under a quarter of its total geographical area. The municipality serves as both the economic hub and administrative capital (Polokwane city) of Limpopo, boasting the highest population density in the Capricorn District. In February 2002, the city was renamed Polokwane, which means "place of safety" in northern Sesotho.The city has developed a long-term strategy called VISION 2030, aimed at transforming the municipality into a vibrant and sustainable entity. This initiative positions Polokwane as a "City of Stars," leading in innovation through the SMART CITY concept. To achieve this vision, it is essential for the municipality to establish specific goals and implementable projects. Administration is overseen by an Executive Mayor and a Municipal Manager. Industry: Local Government Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employee

Return on Investment

ArcGIS for Local Authorities deployment in the City of Polokwane streamlined building plan and town planning and cemetery burial applications, generating R20M in revenue through improved efficiency and service delivery. This case highlights process changes, stakeholder engagement, and measurable financial impact. The project delivered R20M from building plan , town planning and burial applications over the implementation period (September 2024 – February 2026) by reducing approval time and enabling online submissions.
Key drivers: automation, improved data accuracy, and faster decision cycles. Revenue split across building plan fees, expedited processing, development and GIS-enabled inspections with additional income from services connections and occupation certificates. Focus on sustaining growth via digital services and operationalizing GIS capabilities. The ArcGIS-enabled process generated R20M by streamlining approval processes, improving data accuracy, and enabling new services.