Page 9 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 4 May 2024

HOME FRONT
Initiative
Enter the safety app.

With the simple push of a button, South
Africans can gain access to a host of
immediate services with a comforting
human voice on the other side of the
phone.

Casi and Tracker CareGuard quickly
dispatch armed-response services,
Netstar Companion automatically alerts
the nearest armed-response vehicles and
sends a responder whether you answer
a return call or not, and Namola provides
access to the largest local database of
public and private emergency services
24/7, promising to call you back in under
10 seconds.

Considering that over half the
South African population owns a
smartphone, one would assume that
having a panic app (or ‘Don’t Panic’
app as Namola prefers) would be
an obvious choice, but this is not
the case. Perhaps it is because we
expect these services to be part
of our insurance plan, or maybe
we’ve grown up to be ‘resilient’
or think ‘it won’t happen to us’, or
more solemnly, it may be because
as a country we have lost faith in
public services or believe we can’t
afford it.

Safety applications can help alleviate NAMOLA IS ONE OF SA’S
those fears, and Namola encourages
BIRD OF one that works for you—it’s not about LEADING SAFETY APPS.
everyone to download one. Find the
big business here, and there are even
What began as a humble gov-tech project in 2016 is now wholly
a few free versions. We live in an
PARADISE incredible country, which we know has owned by the MultiChoice Group. Initially developed by a small,
local team committed to providing a tech-driven solution to enable
many shortfalls, but it also has many
private enterprises stepping up to make
a faster and more efficient response service between the SAPS and
a difference and assist citizens in living
private emergency responders network and state-of-the-art location-
happier and safer lives. the community, Namola now offers access to the largest public and
Over half a million South Africans have sharing technology.
signed up to Namola. That’s awesome!
However, as the country’s most widely Since its inception, Namola has been downloaded by more than half
downloaded safety app, that’s only 1% of
the adult population. It’s not enough. We a million SA citizens, delivering on its mission to prioritise the safety
owe it to ourselves and our loved ones and well-being of all South Africans by creating a platform that gets
to embrace real solutions to accessible you the help you need, wherever and whenever you need it.
safety and emergency services.

Safety is a collective For R59 a month (and R29 a month if you are a DStv subscriber),
users of NamolaPlus have access to the nearest private armed-
reponsibiity and it's in your response teams and private medical emergency services dispatched
hands. to the user location. As a proudly South African safety app, three
pivotal features include: the SOS button, location sharing and smart
alerts, and ‘Namola communities’ for collective safety and support.
CLICK
HERE A free version, which dispatches government services, is also
available as part of an ongoing commitment to safety for all South
to download the Africans.

Namola app. Don’t Panic. It’s easier than 9-1-1.

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