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Citizens who want to engage with government will now have greater access to the administration thanks to the revamped Presidential Hotline.

Deputy Minister in The Presidency Thembi Siweya recently launched the modernised Presidential Hotline, which comes with the Khawuleza mobile app and USSD code.

Currently, the toll-free hotline can only be reached through telephone and email channels, with a target turnaround time of seven days.

However, the new app and USSD code will enable citizens to lodge service-delivery complaints in all official languages through their cellphones and track their queries through a reference number.

Whistle-blowers will now be able to report any poor service delivery and corruption anonymously.

“In this pilot phase of the app, the focus will be on service delivery in Limpopo. Based on experience gathered and an assessment of the state of readiness in other provinces, the Khawuleza mobile app and USSD code will be rolled out in the remaining eight provinces, an effort which will then culminate in a national launch of a reengineered Presidential Hotline,” Deputy Minister Siweya said.

She applauded officials at the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation for developing the app in-house and urged citizens to use the new platforms optimally as a way of encouraging accountability and improving service delivery.

“In so doing, it will also be pertinent to be responsible and desist from clogging the system with misinformation,” said the Deputy Minister.