While most people have complaints for the municipality, many do not actually report them to the correct people or in the right way.
If someone has not logged a service delivery query, then the City of Johannesburg is probably not aware of the issue, and it may remain unresolved.
The municipality relies on residents to log service delivery failures so that they are able to attend to them and resolve them. Even if you think, ‘Someone must have reported this already, I don’t need to,’ you should still log your complaint. The sooner residents log complaints, the sooner they can be resolved, and if a lot of residents are logging the same complaint, the probability is that it will be seen as more urgent and resolved a lot faster.
The easiest way to log a complaint would be with a CoJ website known as Look and Log (www.lookandlog.co.za).
This website has links to log complaints with every City entity you could think of, including: JRA, City Power, Joburg Water, Pikitup, City Parks and Zoos, Billing Enquiries, JMPD, and some complaints can be relayed to the Ombudsman.
Who do you contact for a specific issue?
The Look and Log website deals with all City-related issues and complaints, and details the procedure to follow. It also has a navigation guide.
For billing, the City has 30 days to resolve the issue, and there is recourse if a customer’s query isn’t dealt with satisfactorily. The customer is, however, asked to wait the required 30 days before opting for recourse.
You can log a billing complaint about the following issues:
•Meter readings
•Faulty meters
•Pre-termination notices
•For any other queries regarding billing from the City
Logging a complaint with City Power covers the following issues:
•Faulty street lights
•Power failures
•Faulty electricity meters
•Anything power-related
Logging a complaint with Joburg Water covers the following issues:
•Burst pipes
•Water outages
•Faulty meters
•Stolen water meters
•Blocked sewers
City Parks and Zoos can be contacted or complaints can be logged for issues with the following:
•Urban parks, recreation, and leisure facilities
•Johannesburg Zoo complaints
•Zoo Conservation and Research Farm
•Cemeteries and crematoria
•Botanical Services
•Nature reserves such as bird sanctuaries, nature trails, dams, and lakes
•Environmental education
•Biodiversity and Conservation Management
•Eco-tourism products and services
•Trees and arboriculture services
Logging a complaint with Pikitup covers illegal dumping and rubbish-related queries, and there is a second link on the Look and Log site that can help you find a Pikitup site.
Logging a complaint with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) covers numerous issues relating to roads and pavements. The procedure to log a complaint includes filling out an online form specifying the issue and adding pictures before submitting it.
Logging an issue with the Ombudsman is slightly more complicated. The Look and Log website describes the procedure to follow, as well as specific issues not dealt with by the Ombudsman.
Logging a complaint with JMPD is through a secondary link, also found on the Look and Log website. The City has launched a simple emergency number for all emergencies, so children can remember it too. The number is 102, but all other emergency numbers can also be found on Look and Log, but just in case, here they are:
•JMPD Emergency – 011 375 5911 or 011 758 9620
•JMPD Hotline – 080 862 3342 or 10177
•LAND Invasions Hotline – 0800 120 555
•JMPD Call Centre – 011 758 9650
•JMPD Control/ Radio room – 011 375 5918
•Care Connect – 0860 562 874
•Anti-corruption – 0800 203 712 or 0800 002 587
•Illegal dumping – 0800 120 555
•WhatsApp or SMS – 082 779 1361
Remember to always take photos of illegal dumpers in the context of the location and that JMPD needs registration plate numbers.
