Maintaining working streetlights requires the community to stop vandalism
Residents are encouraged to identify and report faulty streetlights, in addition to other service interruption alert platforms such as the call centre and mobile CoE app.
The metro highlighted that it had become difficult to keep up with the high demand to repeatedly fix streetlights that have been damaged by the community through vandalism, illegal connections and cable theft.
Limited government resources and rotational shift system necessitated by the pandemic has negatively affected the turnaround time to attend to streetlight queries, which is usually seven days.
However, the limited staff complement prioritises attending electricity outages over fixing of streetlights.
Customers are encouraged to report all electricity-related issues through its call centre on 0860 543 000 or through My CoE app.
Social workers services available at customer centres
Social workers are an integral part of society and their doors are always open to assist those in need of help.
As the world observed World Social Work Month in March, the quality assurance manager at the Ekurhuleni metro’s social development division, Adelaide Twala, urged residents to utilise social services offered by the metro.
“There are many social ills that many people are confronted by, and no one should deal with those problems alone, especially when there are social workers who are available at the metro’s customer care centres (CCC),” said Twala.
She said Ekurhuleni social workers also provide therapy sessions for rape victims and abused individuals, adding that necessary, the social worker may refer patients for external intervention.
Some of the services rendered by social workers include:
• Capacity building programmes for women and children
• Enrichment workshops for unemployed youth
• Awareness and information programmes for the elderly
• Assistance with registration on the metro’s indigent database
• Linking needy residents with poverty alleviation programmes in their communities
Residents are encouraged to walk in at any of the social worker’s office at the CCC or call the following office numbers: 011 999 6906 (Etwatwa/Daveyton) or 011 999 5578 (Boksburg/Vosloorus).
Housing allocation scam alert
Ekurhuleni warns the public to be aware of a scam that claims to be an invitation from the metro to the RDP housing beneficiaries to submit documents with personal information to provided fax and cellphone numbers.
Some of the documents beneficiaries are requested to submit are IDs, birth certificates, marriage certificates, proofs of residence.
The scammers mention RDP housing beneficiaries who applied from 1996 to 2018 as being eligible for housing allocation in unspecified areas.
The metro reiterates that its RDP house allocation is conducted through community consultative process wherein metro officials and ward councillors visit rightful beneficiaries in their communities to inform them of stages of allocations.
The notices circulating on social media are scams, and residents are advised to guard against giving their personal information to scammers.
Report fraud and corruption on 0800 102 201.
(Information: Zweli Dlamini, the spokesperson of the Ekurhuleni metro).
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