Johannesburg - About 900 000 Ekurhuleni residents can now pay their municipal bills online with their smartphones.
This can be done using Masterpass, a global digital payment service from Mastercard which was announced last week in Budapest, Hungary, at the Mastercard Innovation Forum 2016.
This collaboration signals a world first with the South African municipality being the first to accept bill payments via this service.
To pay with Masterpass, ratepayers can simply visit the City of Ekurhuleni’s e-Siyakhokha website, select the account they wish to pay, and choose Masterpass as the payment option.
They will then scan the QR code displayed on screen using the Masterpass app on their smartphone and enter their ATM PIN or One Time PIN to authorise payment, and their account will be updated immediately.
“We are excited to launch Masterpass bill payments with the City of Ekurhuleni, making payments simpler, faster and more convenient,” said Mark Elliott, division president of Mastercard, South Africa.
“Now ratepayers no longer need to carry cash and stand in long queues at customer care centres, nor do they have the inconvenience of logging into internet banking. With the Masterpass payment capability on their phone, they can now simply scan to pay’ their bill - all from the comfort of their couch.”
Launched as part of the city’s digital strategy to empower its citizens through technology, e-Siyakhokha offers ratepayers a one-stop portal for interacting and transacting with the local government authority.
They can check their balances, look up historical statements, lodge billing queries, and pay their municipal accounts including rates and taxes, electricity and traffic fines.
“We want to use the latest technologies to make it as easy as possible for residents to pay their municipal bills. Offering a selection of seamless payment options that can be used across devices is an important part of achieving that goal,” said Ramasela Ganda, chief financial officer of the Ekurhuleni Metro.
The collaboration between Mastercard and the City of Ekurhuleni addresses demand in the South African market for more choice and simplicity in how people make payments.
The Mastercard Impact of Innovation Study shows South African consumers are eager adopters of new technologies and payment innovations, with 73 percent saying they are ready to pay using their cellphones.
Downloading and using the Masterpass app is quick and easy. Consumers simply visit their device’s app store, download the app, complete their profile, and load their payment card information - including card details from both Mastercard and other payment networks.
@annacox
The Star