Unresolved inquiries lead to frustrations for Ekurhuleni residents

Residents across the City of Ekurhuleni are left frustrated after numerous complaints about service requests being closed without resolution.

Local authorities have been inundated with calls from upset citizens whose issues remain unresolved, despite being logged and acknowledged by the city.

In many cases, reference numbers for logged service requests, ranging from electrical outages and road damage to blocked sewers, are forwarded to the Alberton Record for follow-up.

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However, upon contacting the city for updates, journalists are often informed that the calls have been closed, with no actions taken to resolve the reported issues.

This disturbing trend has sparked concerns about the effectiveness of the city’s customer care systems, with residents questioning why their service requests are being closed without addressing the underlying problems.

The city’s response

To better understand the situation, we contacted the city’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini.

He explained how calls are logged through the city’s official sites, ensuring that each issue is assigned a reference number. However, he acknowledged the growing number of complaints regarding closed calls that remain unresolved.

Zweli clarified that the city’s customer care team is responsible for logging calls and forwarding them to the relevant departments.

Once logged, the departments are expected to handle and resolve the reported issues. If a department closes a call without addressing the issue, this is classified as a departmental problem, which needs to be escalated and resolved by management.

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“This issue has been raised multiple times by residents, and we are aware of the frustrations caused by the closure of calls without resolution.

We are encouraging residents to escalate matters directly to us when they notice a problem hasn’t been attended to.

“The management is actively reviewing these cases and will take appropriate actions to prevent this from happening in the future,” Zweli explained.

What is being reported?

The types of issues being reported to the city cover a wide range of service-related concerns, with some of the most common being:

Electrical issues:

• Damaged or non-functional traffic lights

• Street lights out

• Power failures

• Loose power cables

• Open distribution boxes

• Electrical substations

• Illegal electrical connections or cable theft

Water and sewer problems:

• Water supply issues (no water, water leaks)

• Blocked sewers

• Faulty water meters

• Fire hydrants leaking

• Missing manhole covers

• Storm water drain blockages

• Soiled or foul-smelling water

Roads and traffic:

• Damaged or missing road signs

• Cracked or damaged road surfaces

• Faded road markings

• Missing or damaged barriers

• Cargo or spills on roads

• Fallen trees obstructing traffic

These issues not only affect residents’ daily lives but also pose safety risks, with some of the problems, such as loose power cables or missing road signs, having the potential to cause serious accidents.

Life-threatening emergencies

For urgent, life-threatening issues, residents are advised to contact emergency services directly.

Life-threatening concerns such as fires, accidents, medical emergencies, or criminal activity require immediate attention.

The spokesperson reminded the public to provide clear and detailed information when reporting life-threatening situations, including full contact details, the location of the incident and a reference number.

How to handle service-related calls?

To ensure that calls are handled effectively, residents are encouraged to follow a clear protocol when logging service-related issues:

• Provide the operator with the reason for the call and specify the kind of help needed.

• Provide full personal details (name, contact number).

• Give a clear description of the issue’s location, including the suburb, street address, and nearby landmarks.

• Request a reference number for tracking purposes.

• Always ensure the call centre operator has all the necessary details before hanging up.

• Residents should also make note of the operator’s name for further follow-up if the issue is not addressed.

The city has emphasised the importance of escalating unresolved issues to them directly.

Zweli stressed that although the city’s call centre is there to log the calls, it is ultimately up to the relevant departments to take responsibility for addressing the problems. If these departments fail to resolve issues in a timely manner, management must intervene to rectify the situation.

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What next?

The growing number of complaints signals a need for better coordination between the city’s departments and a more transparent approach to customer service.

As the city works to address these concerns, residents are urged to continue logging their issues and reporting any unresolved cases to customer care.

While the city acknowledges the problem, residents are calling for more decisive action to prevent future frustrations and ensure that service requests are not prematurely closed without a proper resolution.

As this issue continues to unfold, the public remains hopeful that steps will be taken to improve the responsiveness of local services and restore confidence in the system.

For residents experiencing unresolved service-related issues, the city can be reached on 0860 543 000 or via their official website.

For life-threatening emergencies, contact 10177 or 011 458 0911 immediately.