eThekwini Municipality brings Batho Pele to Ward 68
The Batho Pele initiative was brought to Ward 68 to help cater to those in the community who cannot travel far to pay their utilities.
ETHEKWINI Municipality aimed to make local services more available to Ward 68 residents through its Batho Pele service on January 24, at the Austerville AFM Church.
Also read: Batho Pele Outreach Programme brings services closer to the people
This outreach formed part of the municipality’s effort to be more present, accessible and responsive and targets areas where getting to municipal offices is harder for residents
What does Batho Pele offer?
Agnes Zulu, manager of customer services within the revenue management directorate, said the goal of the outreach is to bring services into the community and get people involved.
“The team addressed client accounts and questions, aiming to offer municipal services directly to residents. Residents received help with account questions and explanations on their bills. The team helped with the 50% off debt relief programme and the municipality also helped update rates rebates for senior citizens and tried to connect with the elderly people in the area,” she said
Zulu added that they also put a focus on trying to save older people the trouble and expense of going to municipal offices for billing issues.
eThekwini Municipality e-services:
The municipality shared information on their online services, like getting bills via email. Zulu said that this can fix issues with postal services, and she told people to sign up for e-services.
“Residents learned about indigent support programme for some households. Homes valued at R750 000 or less, with a combined income of R7000 or less, can apply. If approved, they can get a prepaid electricity meter with 65 kilowatts already loaded and installed and 6 kilolitres of water free,” she said.
Zulu encouraged the community to make use of the municipality’s mobile app for various services. The app lets people view past bills, check for outages, submit meter readings and report issues with electricity or water, making account management easier.
The Batho Pele programme in Wentworth was well received and motivated the municipality to continue their work in the area.
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