A NEW mobile app has been developed by ward councillors to help local residents lodge a complaint without the hassle of queues or being placed on hold.
Ward 66 councillor, JP Prinsloo took the Sun on a quick digital walk-through on the user-friendly app called Active Citizen, which he urges locals to download and use.
It is available for android users only. The app, which was conceptualised by Cllr Prinsloo and ward 31 councillor, Christopher Pappas, has been in the pipeline since December. It allows communities to be in close contact with the city and its departments including roads, parks and recreation, the electricity department and so on. Via the app, users can report any fault or damages to the municipality without the hassle of calling or visiting. Once the problem is reported, an email is sent to eThekwini and the ward councillor and the complainant will be updated on their query.
The app was created to improve service delivery in eThekwini.
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It has two versions – one for residents and another for ward councillors. Only councillors registered with the developer can access the features. They have access to additional features such as polling, noticeboard admin rights, ward level fault tracking and weekly reports. “The app allows a ward councillor to download a weekly log of all issues which residents have reported. Councillors can oversee the resolution of issues as per their oversight mandate. It allows councillors to track fault trends,” said Cllr Prinsloo.
“There is an admin cost to running the app, which we are currently paying. It would be unethical for us to profit off of residents while executing our core mandate which is local service delivery, so the service will remain free to residents,” he added. The app is only available for Bluff, Treasure Beach, Musgrave, Overport, Asherville and Sydenham.
WATCH: Ward 66 Councillor, JP Prinsloo introduced new service delivery app
