Outreach lets Pta residents contact municipal consultants via Zoom.

Tshwane residents can sort out their municipal account issues after hours, thanks to a so-called “virtual outreach program” hosted by the metro.

This program will allow residents access to about 20 metro account consultants via Zoom over the next three days.

According to Tshwane finance minister Mare-Lise Fourie, the program was aimed at helping residents whose accounts were in arrears to conclude settlements or set up monthly repayment agreements.

“Those who are unable but willing to pay will be informed of the various options available to assist them,” said Fourie.

Fourie said it often happened that residents were not able to visit municipal offices at all times to query their accounts.

“This way we help residents in their comfort zone.”

She said the program was decided upon after the metro realised that residents were more at ease discussing their accounts queries after hours through face-to-face platforms rather than via telephone.

Residents can use the program to address the following issues:

– Billing queries and estimation corrections

– Credit control and assistance with repayment arrangements

– Revenue protection and related matters

– Repairs to water leakages and faulty electricity meters

– Property rates queries

– Registration of customers and indigent subsidy benefits

Fourie said residents can log-in via a secured platform, as they would are offered unique meeting IDs and passcodes to let them to link with the officials.

“The hosted video will be on at all times during this time to enable face-to-face interaction.”

Residents can also log in using free Wi-fi provided by the metro at designated points across all seven regions.

1Gb data is provided per device daily.

She said the 20 virtual account hosts would be divided into five groups:

Ten consultants would assist residential consumers, three consultants will assist businesses, two for arrangements, one for property rates queries, one for social development while the other three officials would be in the office.

“They will be assisting residents across all regions within Tshwane.”

Fourie said the event was scheduled to run for three consecutive days:

– 25 March 2021 from 16:00 to 19:00

– 26 March 2021 from 16:00 to 19:00

– 27 March 2021 from 08:00 to 15:00

See steps to join Zoom meetings below as well as the link. 

https://zoom.us/download 

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