The Quality of Life Survey conducted by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) revealed that while the more challenging areas of delivery including housing, connectivity, roads, water and electricity connections were rated highly; mistrust of all spheres of government had reached the highest levels ever recorded by the observatory.
Gauteng residents acknowledged that their basic needs had been met; however, the more complex issues, of building integrated communities that included ‘active citizens’ were failing badly.
In Joburg, 49 percent of residents were dissatisfied with the performance of provincial government – up from 45 percent in 2011; and more than half of the city’s residents indicated discontentment with local government, growing from 48 percent in 2011.
Although people wanted an efficient government, they also wanted a clean, transparent and approachable government, GCRO executive director Prof. David Everatt said.
“The answer to improved satisfaction with government was not just more RDP housing and more basic service connections,” he said.
“The quality of life survey is GCRO’s most important output, in that every two years it provides us with a very important reality check on where we are as a province, and also assists us in developing responses [in] the areas that need improvement,” said Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
“We therefore welcome the results, especially because they show us challenges that we need to focus on.”
The City of Joburg echoed Makhura’s sentiments.
“The outcomes of this survey are important because it puts thing into perspective,” said city council spokesperson Virgil James.
“If a portion of people are unhappy, we must ask what the problem is and what we are doing wrong.”
However, he said the survey looked at a number of issues and although there were areas where the city council performed poorly, there were many areas where it fared well.
“Overall we are happy but we can do better.”
The survey’s findings were an indicator for the city council to improve in the areas where it was rated poorly, he said.
The biennial surveys were produced by the GCRO, which has partnered with the universities of the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg, Gauteng Provincial Government and the SA Local Government Association.
It will be the largest survey ever conducted by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) with more than 27 000 people interviewed.
The survey outcome can be accessed on the GCRO’s website https://www.gcro.ac.za/project/quality-life-survey-3.
