Mayor launches new service helpline for residents
HAVE your attempts to report faults related to the ethekwini Municipality’s water, billing and electricity service been frustrating?
Dialling 080 311 11 11 in future could be the solution to those frustrations. This hotline number is an integrated mayoral toll-free line that was launched by mayor Zandile Gumede recently, to help residents who have had limited success when attempting to report complaints.
Gumede said the toll-free mayoral hotline was a direct response to residents’ calls for improved service delivery from the city and the number was toll-free from any landline or cellphone, and would be operational 24 hours.
“The hotline is in accordance with the city’s vision and an effort to meet the needs of residents.
“We are currently reviewing our customer relations management strategy with the aim of being more responsive, efficient and consistent in the services we deliver to the ethekwini community,” Gumede promised.
She said the office manning the hotline was already operational and had a staff complement of 10 trained people who were currently operating 12 lines.
According to Gumede, the success derived from the Whatsapp number service that was used to assist customers with mainly water and sanitation-related matters is what inspired the new toll-free number.
Gumede said the city was driven to ensure their interactions with customers would become a pleasant experience, and that the new hotline was a step in the right direction.
“We’re in the first phase of integrating the services of the water, electricity and billing departments, the city’s switchboard and the mayoral hotline,” said Gumede.