Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 2026
NexGen Smart City helps residents report municipal faults and helps municipal staff resolve them. This policy explains what personal information the app collects, why, and what choices you have. It is written to align with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.
1. Who Is Responsible
The municipality that runs the service in your area is responsible for the personal information you submit. NexGen Smart City provides the platform that the municipality uses. Questions about your information can be sent through the Contact page in the app.
2. Information We Collect
When you report a fault, we collect the municipality you select, the type and description of the fault, the location of the fault, any photos you take or choose, and optionally your name, phone number, and email address so we can update you. Municipal staff who sign in have their name, staff number, role, department, and sign-in credentials stored, along with the work notes and messages they send through the app. We do not use advertising trackers or third-party analytics inside the app.
3. Device Permissions
The app asks for access to your location, camera, and photo library only when you use those features. Location is used to pin a fault on the map, and camera and photos are used to attach pictures to a fault report. You can decline or revoke these permissions at any time in your device settings. Declining will not stop you from reporting a fault by other means, but the related feature will not work.
4. How We Use Information
We use your information to receive and route fault reports to the correct municipal department, assign work to staff or contractors, track progress until a fault is resolved, respond to your enquiries, and send updates if you provided contact details. Staff sign-in details are used only to keep their accounts secure and to show them the work they are authorized to see.
5. Who We Share Information With
Fault details are shared with the municipal department and staff responsible for resolving them, and with contractors assigned to a specific job. Personal contact details are visible only to authorized staff, and some roles see masked versions. We use trusted service providers to run the platform, including Supabase for our database, file storage, and sign-in services, and an email delivery service for notifications. These providers process information only to deliver the service. We do not sell your personal information.
6. Photos
Photos attached to fault reports are stored in cloud file storage and linked to that report. Please avoid photographing people, vehicle number plates, or private property where it is not needed to show the fault.
7. Security
Information is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Our database provider encrypts stored data. Access is limited by role, so staff only see what their job requires. Staff passwords are stored in protected form rather than as plain text, and sign-in attempts are limited to guard against guessing.
8. Data Retention
Fault records are kept for the period required by municipal record-keeping rules. Contact details you provide are kept only as long as needed to resolve the fault and follow up with you. Staff account information is kept while the account is active and for a reasonable period after it is closed, as required by municipal records rules.
9. Your Rights
Under POPIA you can ask us to confirm what personal information we hold about you, correct it, object to its use, or delete it where the law allows. To make a request, use the Contact page in the app. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
10. Children's Privacy
NexGen Smart City is not directed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information to us, contact us through the Contact page and we will remove it.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed, and significant changes will be communicated through the platform.