The City of Johannesburg brought its municipal services directly to the community of Emmarentia on September 15, as part of an ongoing campaign designed to make it easier for residents to resolve queries without travelling long distances to municipal offices.

The initiative is led by the city’s Revenue Shared Services Centre. While the centre has traditionally handled billing and credit management, this campaign brings those services closer to residents, particularly elderly citizens who often struggle with online platforms.

Explaining the purpose of the outreach, Jabu Dhlamini, the deputy director of stakeholder relations at the centre, said, “Our offices are very far from the communities that we serve.

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For instance, people from this area in Emmarentia and the surrounding communities have to go all the way to Bram Fischer Drive to sort out their bills, rates queries or pension-related matters. That’s why we decided to start this campaign – to bring services closer, especially for the elderly.”

Launched last year, the campaign has become a regular feature across Johannesburg, with two to three activations held weekly at shopping centres and public spaces. This week, three were scheduled – two in Region B, including Emmarentia, and one in Region E.

Residents attending the Emmarentia activation accessed a wide range of services.

Staff from the centre’s rates department processed rebates, resolved declined applications on-site, and scanned and approved new submissions.

Teams from City Power and Johannesburg Water were also present, assisting with electricity and water queries, and offering updates and guidance.
Instead of long waits or unnecessary travel, many residents left with immediate answers.

“Instead of driving to Bramfischerville or another office, they can come here, log their queries, and often walk away with a resolution,” said Dhlamini.

Residents expressed their appreciation for the initiative, noting how efficiently their concerns were addressed. Resident, Shane Jeycocke, shared, “It’s a great service to the community, as it helps to get queries done. It can be a bit of a pain to go into town or to the offices. It was quick and easy.”.

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For the city, feedback such as this confirms the campaign’s success. “We’re very happy because that’s the reason why we’re coming out on the streets – to make sure that the residents are using it. When they tell us they are impressed, it means the purpose of the campaign has been achieved.”

Recognising that many senior citizens find it difficult to navigate the city’s online services, officials have expanded the campaign’s scope. Teams have even trained themselves to assist with applications for the Extended Social Package (ESP), which provides subsidies on water, electricity, and other municipal services.

“Although ESP is not part of the revenue department, we thought, since we are out here, let’s teach ourselves to do the online applications for pensioners. So far, we’ve assisted with about three ESP applications today,” Dhlamini added.

The city has pledged to continue bringing municipal services into communities, ensuring that neither distance nor technology stands in the way of residents receiving the help they need.

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