In August, the MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Queen Duba, stated the Ekurhuleni call centre was operating efficiently and compared favourably to international best practice and private sector companies’ call centres.
The municipality recently announced that the call centre had logged its millionth call since the new and improved service was launched in May 2014.
The call centre serves as the central point where citizens can log service delivery complaints including potholes, water leaks, burst pipes and electricity outages.
The DA’s PR Councillor for Phomolong, Clr Allan Sauls, said many poorer residents are unable to access this service because callers are required to pay for the calls they make to the call centre as the number is not a tall free number.
“The reality is that many community members rely on cellular phones to communicate. An example is the Phomolong community, who largely make use of cellular phones,” said Clr Sauls.
Clr Sauls said while the option to log queries is also available online through the municipality’s website, many poor residents cannot afford to log service delivery calls with the call centre as they do not have access to the internet.
He said it was clear that MMC Duba was out of touch with the reality on the ground as most poor residents were unable to access the call centre, which means their service delivery complaints are not resolved.
“Communities in township have historically not used Telkom telephones in their homes; the same applies to Phomolong. This community is mostly using cellular phones from various service providers. During data collection like a petition, only cellular phones are recorded as a means of communication within the Phomolong community. Most Phomolong communities are living well below the average income of South Africans’ earning,” said Clr Sauls.
He said it was critical that Ekurhuleni considers more options so that all residents are able to log their service delivery complaints.
“Basic SMS text messages are used extensively in communication, sharing important information while gathering the same. A petition is currently being signed by the Phomolong community to request Ekurhuleni to make a free-of-charge SMS complaint option.
He said the DA will be submitting questions to MMC Dube on this matter.
The NEWS requested comment from Ekurhuleni. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
