Sophiatown service delivery attended to

SOPHIATOWN – Residents encouraged to rather email the City on accounts and billing issues.

October 12, 2021

Andile Dlodlo 1 minute read

The removal of trees and branches as part of the City of Johannesburg's Accelerated Service Delivery Operation in Sophiatown on September 7. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

The City of Johannesburg pulled out all the stops recently to prioritise service delivery around Sophiatown.

Residents of Sophiatown and surrounding areas are assisted with their billing and service delivery needs by representatives from the City of Johannesburg. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

The City hosted its Accelerated Service Delivery Operation in partnership with Sophiatown Police Station on September 8. The operation aimed to identify, resolve and close existing issues faced by residents and the community. Various City departments and entities were on-site and in the area to assist residents and businesses regarding matters of billing, rebates, reconnections and awareness on financial services offered by the City.

Sophiatown police and the community of Sophiatown are pleased to partner with the City of Johannesburg on September 7 for their Accelerated Service Delivery Operation. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

City entities such as City Power, Johannesburg Water, City Parks and Zoo and the Johannesburg Roads Agency were also present to attend to restoring the community to a decent state. As part of their work, they focused on illegal electricity and water connections, illegal dumping in public and vacant spaces and fixing potholes.

Illegal dumping, which is a massive problem in the Sophiatown Policing Precinct, is also attended to as part of the City of Johannesburg’s Accelerated Service Delivery Operation in the area. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

Regional manager at the finance department Justice Mushwana said such operations also look to raise awareness on how members of the public can communicate their issues with the City. He added that the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to make it challenging for residents to engage with the City on service delivery matters but emphasised that their regional customer service centres email is fully functional. Mushwana said, “We are accelerating efficiency with this because the more of our customers use this platform, the less are coming into our customer service centres. The turnaround time on this platform is far less, we give acknowledgement of receiving the issue immediately and we give feedback within 24 hours.”

City of Johannesburg regional manager at the finance department Justice Mushwana assists a resident with an accounts matter. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

The City encouraged ratepayers to continue paying for services and keeping their accounts up to date. While residents can visit customer centres to attend to their municipal issues, the City has asked the public to rather use their regional Customer Service Centre email service to address similar matters.