Gauteng fighting crime using a smartphone app

The Gauteng e-Panic Button app has accumulated over 50,000 downloads to Android smartphones, while the Gauteng Provincial Government’s rollout of physical panic buttons has surpassed 80,000 units.

MyBroadband asked the Gauteng Provincial Government for an update on its e-Panic Button app and whether it was proving useful in its crime-fighting efforts, but it hadn’t answered our questions by publication.

The app provides immediate assistance from emergency services and is free for all Gauteng residents.

Users can call for help discretely with a single tap of the panic button.

In a recent statement, Bonginkosi Dhlamini, MEC for eGovernment, Research, and Development, called for more residents to download the app, saying it has life-saving potential.

“The Gauteng e-Panic Button is a testament to the progress made by the provincial government to create a safer environment for everyone in the province, and by downloading and using this App, you can protect yourself and your loved ones in times of emergency,” said Dhlamini.

“This initiative offers both a physical device and an electronic version as an App. It is not just a tool, it’s a lifeline.”

The Gauteng Provincial Government officially launched the e-Panic Button app in May 2024 as part of its broader crime-fighting strategy, following a pilot launch in April 2023.

By the official launch, it had accumulated roughly 8,000 downloads, most of which were to nurses’ and teachers’ smartphones.

The app has now accumulated over 50,000 downloads through the Google Play Store, and while it is also available on iOS, the App Store doesn’t specify download numbers.

At the launch, the Gauteng Provincial Government said it also wants to hand out 100,000 physical buttons to members of the public.

“Safety is a shared responsibility. We need the community to be actively involved in these initiatives, to be the eyes and ears on the ground,” said Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko.

“The e-Panic Button is a crucial step forward, but its success depends on the community’s engagement and trust.”

Dhlamini also provided an update on the rollout of physical panic buttons, of which over 80,000 had been distributed as of 2 December 2024.

e-Panic button app tested

MyBroadband tested the Gauteng e-Panic button app in late August 2024, and we were impressed with the user experience and app’s performance.

Initial impressions were good, with the app holding an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 on the Google Play Store. The download consumed roughly 108MB of data and took up around 208MB of storage.

The setup process is fairly straightforward, requiring users to enter a phone number to receive a one-time PIN via SMS for verification. Users must then enter a name, surname, and email address.

Users must also grant the app permission to access the location, motion, and notification functions on their phones, the reasoning for which is explained clearly during the process.

Once set up, users are presented with a home page, which has three large buttons: Report a Crime, Medical Emergencies, and Activate Armed Response.

Selecting the Report a Crime button presents a page where the user must enter the type of crime they witnessed, a brief description, and images of the alleged crime, if possible.

Our testing of the Medical Emergencies and Activate Armed Response services was very impressive.

We tapped the medical emergency response option at around 19:23 on a Sunday in Pretoria, and immediately received an SMS notification confirming the request.

Within seconds, we received an incoming call from the response control room. We explained that we had accidentally pushed the button.

We then tested the Activate Armed Response button on a Tuesday morning. We quickly received an SMS confirming the request, and the response room operator called within five seconds.

In both cases, the operators were clearly audible and professional.