Ekurhuleni council demands improved service delivery

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) held an ordinary council meeting last Thursday.

This was the second sitting this year and councillors are demanding a change in service delivery standards.

In the first sitting of the year, Mayor Nkonsindiphile Xhakaza declared this year a period of renewal for the city.

Based on the mayor’s words, the council requested to approve the revised customer service standards for the CoE.

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This has been a long-standing issue that residents have raised from poor service delivery to tickets being closed without attending to the matter and substandard service delivery.

This matter affects all wards across Ekurhuleni. The revision of service level standards was based on these objectives:

(a) To be efficient and effective and improve the turnaround times when attending to service delivery challenges and breakdowns.

(b) To eliminate duplicating fault codes and ensure a speedy resolution to service delivery breakdowns.

(c) To be reliable and consistent with departmental capacity and resources for delivering basic municipal services.

Ward 35 Clr Ntuthuxelo Mpambani said the ANC approved the report on the revised customer service standards for the CoE.

“We welcome this important step towards refining our service delivery mechanisms to meet the needs of our residents, especially since the council registered its dissatisfaction with this item previously,” said Mpambani.

But he also urged the council to be vigilant in identifying and addressing service standards that remain impractical or excessively prolonged.

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“Service delivery is at the heart of local government, and delays in critical services undermine public trust. We, therefore, urge the executive to review the following standards,” said Mpambani.

1. The three days for removing unauthorised social media content. A delay of 72 hours allows misinformation or harmful content to gain traction, which could damage the city’s reputation or cause unnecessary public alarm.

2. The seven-day timeframe for closing off or investigating a sinkhole. Sinkholes pose significant public safety risks, and an accelerated response time should be considered to mitigate potential harm.

3. The 48-hour maximum response time for snake removal. A delay in removing dangerous wildlife, especially in residential areas, could put lives at risk.

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4. Primary healthcare service delivery standards. Residents cannot wait up to seven days for missing files or administrative backlogs. Healthcare services must be responsive and patient-centered.

5. The absence of a clear timeframe for removing animal carcasses.

Decaying carcasses pose serious health hazards, attract pests, and create unsanitary conditions in communities. A defined and prompt response time must be implemented to ensure no compromise to public health.