New hope as Akasia, Soshanguve centres go mega
After years of long queues and poor service, Akasia and Soshanguve residents may finally see change as their local municipal centres are upgraded to ‘mega-centres’ with expanded services, better staff training, and a promise of professionalism.
Residents in Akasia and Soshanguve are hopeful that recent upgrades to their local municipal service centres will finally bring an end to the long queues, poor service, and staff indifference that have plagued the facilities for years.
This announcement follows the Tshwane metro’s official upgrade of the Akasia and Soshanguve Block F customer care centres to mega-centres, part of a broader plan to enhance service delivery across all regions.
Residents have welcomed the news with cautious optimism.
For years, they had to wait in lines for hours or return home without receiving assistance due to staff shortages or systems being offline.
Joseph Maseko of Winternest said it’s about time something was done.
“You would arrive at 06:00, only to be helped at midday and only if you are lucky. We just hope this upgrade brings real change.”
Thandiwe Molefe from Akasia echoed these sentiments.
“I’ve been turned away before because the system was down. The staff didn’t seem to care. If they are serious about change, we want to see it in action.”
Mayor Nasiphi Moya conducted an oversight visit to the Rosslyn and Akasia centres on July 15, where she spoke to both staff and residents.
The visit follows growing public concern about the quality of municipal services and aims to ensure that metro facilities are meeting the needs of the communities they serve.
“Residents should not walk into our municipal offices and leave more frustrated than when they arrived.
“Our offices must be places where people receive real help. This overhaul is our way of listening to residents who have spoken loudly about poor attitudes and unacceptable waiting times,” said Moya.
The reclassification of customer care centres into three categories – mega, satellite, and mobile – forms part of a city-wide service reconfiguration plan.
Mega-centres, such as those in Akasia and Soshanguve, will now offer a wider range of services under one roof, including water and electricity account assistance, housing applications, and licensing services.
The metro has allocated R304-million in the 2025/26 financial year to its customer relations management (CRM) department to fund this transformation.
The funding will support the physical upgrades of the centres as well as training programmes for staff to improve professionalism and service attitudes.
According to the mayor, this reclassification will allow the metro to expand service offerings in line with the population size, service demand, and regional infrastructure.
A portion of this budget will also support staff training and technology upgrades aimed at improving efficiency and professionalism.
“We are determined to professionalise municipal service delivery. The CRM budget will be used not only to expand physical centres but also to modernise our virtual platforms,” added Moya.
One of the most anticipated upgrades is the rollout of the Sinch Contact Centre System, a new digital platform that will improve virtual customer engagement.
The system promises faster response times, more accurate case tracking, and seamless communication between residents and municipal departments.
The mayor assured residents that oversight visits like the one conducted in Region 1 will continue across all regions.
“We are not just making announcements, we are following through. Service delivery is a right, not a privilege,” she said.
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