Why municipal issues can take a while to be resolved

Ward 69 councillor, Genevieve Sherman, gave some tips on how to report issues quickly and why they sometimes take longer than expected.

Sherman said the key to getting municipal issues resolved is to report them to the relevant department and to always get a reference number.

She said sometimes a simple grass issue can become complicated and could take longer to be resolved if reported to the incorrect department.

An example of this is hard grass and soft grass maintenance. Hard grass is grass between paving and should be maintained by the Johannesburg Roads Agency; while soft grass maintenance is carried out by City Parks.

She says this often becomes complicated and technical, which is something residents shouldn’t have to worry about, and when in doubt, residents should reach out to her as that is why she is the councillor.

She said while she usually uses the same contact numbers residents do when logging complaints, she sometimes finds that calling 0860JOBURG has a faster answer time than the regular line.

With regard to other platforms for logging, she suggested that residents download some of the City’s logging apps such as JRA Find & Fix, My City Power as well as on the Look and Log website.

Sherman said that after reporting a matter to the relevant department, it is imperative to get a reference number. She explained that reference numbers are key for the entity’s logging system as well as for the department to keep track of issues.

Sherman said while most think reporting an issue and getting a reference number surely means that the issue will be resolved, the logging system works on a first come first served basis.

“Look, if it’s a quick ‘switch on the lights’ situation it shouldn’t take that much time but other issues where things get replaced usually take much more time,” she said.

Contact numbers to report municipal issues:

City Power

0860JOBURG (562874)

Twitter: @citypowerjhb

Joburg Parks and Zoo

0860JOBURG or 011 712 6600

Twitter: @joburgparkszoo

Joburg Water

0860JOBURG or 011 668 1699

Twitter: @jhbwater

Emergency Medical Services and Metro Police

011 375 5911

Twitter: @CityofjoburgEMS

Joburg Roads Agency

0860JOBURG

Twitter: @myjra

Email: hotline@jra.org.za

City of Joburg

0860JOBURG

Twitter: @CityofJoburgZA

Pikitup

0860JOBURG

Twitter: @cleanerjoburg

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