Satisfaction with the City’s Services Rises
15 August 2019
The latest results of the Household Satisfaction Survey shows that more people are satisfied with the services rendered by the City of Joburg than previous years.
According to the survey, customer satisfaction with the City’s services rose by 12 points for the year 2019.
The City of Joburg, in its attempts to remain a customer-centric local authority by staying in touch with the needs of its residents, conducts an independent survey aimed at measuring residents’ satisfaction with the quality of services provided by the City. This is done every two years by an independent and reputable research company.
In line with industry best practice, at taking account a new approach in methodology, which sought to directly canvass the perceptions of residents, the results were verified by an additional independent research organisation.
Approximately 5,000 households across all seven regions of the City were interviewed, and the sample was representative of the gender, race, dwelling type and location composition of Johannesburg.
The results of the 2019 Survey shows a significant upward trajectory of household satisfaction with services provided by the City of Joburg.
Overall, the Household Satisfaction Index increased by 12 points, from 61 in 2017 to 73 in 2019. The Survey shows an increase in the following indices:
- Core/Basic Services Household Satisfaction Index: up by 10 points, from 63 to 73;
- Community Services Household Satisfaction Index: up by 12 points, from 58 to 70;
- By-Law Enforcement Household Satisfaction Index: up by 13 points, from 59 to 72;
- Johannesburg Metro Police Household Satisfaction Index: up by 16 points, from 59 to 75;
The survey further indicated that 54% of respondents rated the City staff’s attitude at council pay points as good or very good, with only 8% respondents rating staff attitude as poor or very poor. Out of the 14% of respondents that had interactions with JMPD officers in the last 12 months, 63% rated those interactions with the officers as positive.
The highlights of the report are as follows (scores are out of 10):
|
CRITERIA |
AVERAGE |
HIGHEST SCORE |
LOWEST SCORE |
|
Satisfaction with core household services |
7.6 |
Water provision – 8.0 |
Electricity and street/public lights – 7.3 |
|
Satisfaction with cost of core household services |
7.8 |
Sanitation/wastewater – 8.1 |
Electricity – 7.4 |
|
Satisfaction with community services |
7.5 |
Application for or renewal of vehicle license – 8.1 |
Fire and ambulance services – 6.8
|
|
By-law enforcement |
7.5 |
Control building/construction rubble and illegal connections: water – 7.8 |
Control of public urination – 7.1 |
The survey tells a story of a City that is progressively improving on its service delivery efforts.
While we are proud of the work we do to continuously improve the quality of services to our residents, we are also aware that there are many areas that require improvement.
Some of the challenges raised by residents include infrequent refuse collection, poor storm water drainage and dysfunctional streetlights, among others.
The City further acknowledges that the prevalence of crime, specifically robbery and burglary remains of a high concern to residents.
Some of our interventions include our strategy on billing, the recruitment of 1500 new JMPD officers to fight crimes, increased budget allocation to streetlights and expanded hours of service at our clinics, among others.
The survey, along with other channels of data collection and engagement with residents, is used by the City in its integrated planning processes. It allows the City to identify its shortcomings, and officials are provided with the opportunity to develop strategies and programmes to address those challenges faced by residents.
As a caring City, that always endeavours to respond to the needs of its residents, the City wishes to assure residents that we are working towards addressing the challenges.
Issued by Luyanda Mfeka, Director of Communications, Office of the Executive Mayor, 15 August 2019
