The Eastern Cape has devised a system to help municipalities respond to complaints lodged with the presidential hotline.
"We have designed a complaint management system to support municipalities so that they implement it without hindrances,” local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane said on Thursday.
"Developing this system is inspired by our commitment to ensure that all cases lodged with the presidential hotline are answered on time, and matters are addressed effectively to the satisfaction of the complainants.” He said this would help municipalities respond to all enquiries and cases, even those lodged with them directly.
The hotline was set up as way for the public to bring complaints about service to the government’s attention. President Jacob Zuma launched it in September 2009.
Qoboshiyane said: "The presidential hotline has helped us a lot as it has beefed up intergovernmental relations in resolving some of the cases lodged.”
The Eastern Cape had improved the tempo at which complaints raised this way were being resolved.
"The total number of cases lodged with the presidential hotline about our municipalities is 2301, and 1495 of those cases have been successfully resolved by our municipalities to the satisfaction of complainants,” the MEC said.
A breakdown of complaints showed 655 were about water, 208 about sanitation, 593 about electricity, 366 about roads, 389 about houses, 32 about corruption, and 135 about employment.
The Joe Gqabi District Municipality had resolved about 97.66 percent of complaints, Chris Hani District Municipality about 77.8 percent, and Buffalo City Metro 71.89 percent.
Nelson Mandela Bay metro had a record of 48.78 percent of complaints resolved, Alfred Nzo District Municipality 31.95 percent, Amathole district municipality 30.32 percent, Cacadu district municipality 17.03 percent and the OR Tambo district municipality 7.3 percent. - Sapa
