SUM Inaugural User Group Meeting: Building Better Solutions, Together

Creating a Platform for Collaboration

The event opened with a welcome from SUM CEO, Mr Dewald Pretorius, followed by an introduction from Sales & Marketing Director, Ms Tshepiso Phosa, who explained the purpose and importance of the User Group Meeting.

Ms Tshepiso Phosa highlighted that the event was created to provide clients with an opportunity to engage more deeply with the iSUM Prepaid Vending Module while giving municipal officials a direct platform to share their experiences and provide input into the system’s future development.

“The purpose of this event is to elaborate further on the iSUM prepaid vending module and to bring together our clients to obtain inputs from officials in order for SUM to develop a superior system for the local market. We call these systems ‘for municipalities, by municipalities’.”

She also introduced Chief Operating Officer (Technical), Mr Michael van Zyl, together with members of SUM’s technical team, who were available throughout the event to engage with attendees and provide technical insight.

A System Built for the South African Market

Mr Dewald Pretorius further emphasised the importance of communication, transparency and ongoing engagement between SUM and its clients.

He explained that the User Group Meeting was intended to give municipalities a platform to ask questions, learn about new developments and engage with SUM regarding management support, available facilities and potential improvements to better serve their needs.

A key focus of the discussion was the iSUM Prepaid Vending Platform, a proudly South African solution developed over many years with a focus on usability and the requirements of the local municipal environment.

The User Group Meeting provided an opportunity for clients to better understand the platform and its integrated components, while also allowing SUM to gain first-hand insight into the experiences and requirements of the municipalities using it.

From Users to Contributors

One of the key outcomes of the inaugural meeting was the establishment of a User Group Committee, with a Chairperson selected by the participating stakeholders.

The formation of the group creates an ongoing channel for collaboration between SUM and its clients, allowing municipalities to contribute to discussions around system development, functionality, support and future requirements.

For SUM, this represents more than a single event. It is the beginning of a new approach to client engagement — one where the experience and insight of municipal officials can help shape solutions that are practical, relevant and responsive to the South African market.

Working Together Towards Better Municipal Services

The inaugural User Group Meeting was a productive and successful day, reinforcing SUM’s commitment to putting its clients at the centre of its approach.

Effective municipal service delivery requires collaboration. By bringing together technology providers, municipal officials and technical teams, opportunities can be identified, challenges can be discussed openly and solutions can be developed with the realities of municipalities in mind.

At SUM, our clients remain a top priority. We look forward to building on this new culture of engagement, strengthening relationships and continuing to work hand in hand with municipalities across South Africa.

Together, we can create smarter systems, improve efficiency and contribute to meaningful progress in the communities we serve.