21 Feb 2012
The Presidential Hotline has successfully resolved majority of calls from South African citizens with overall case resolution rate reaching almost 80% mark. This is a significant milestone in the history of the hotline since its establishment in September 2009.
Since 31 January 2012, the hotline logged a total number of 122,589 calls nationwide with the overall case resolution rate standing at 79.89%. This is a major improvement since 2009, when the resolution rate was at 39%.
The Presidential Hotline receives calls from citizens which include issues relating to employment/world of work, housing, law related matters, social services, citizenship, electricity, education, health and basic services. The majority of these calls are from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Gauteng and the Eastern Cape mainly due to the population size.
On average, it takes 67 working days to resolve a matter that has been recorded with the hotline. However, there are queries which require immediate response such as request for information on government services.
To ensure that the hotline operates optimally we will in June this year, increase the number of call agents from 20 to 30. This will see an increase to 15 agents per shift operating on two shifts a day.
The hotline success can be attributed to better coordination at Directors-General (DGs) and senior management level of government. The hotline responsiveness reports have been regularised on the agenda of Forum of South African Directors-General. In addition, the hotline reports are now on Cabinet agenda periodically.
The Department for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) is now using the Hotline as a source of information to inform its unannounced Front Line Service Delivery Monitoring visits. The department is also in the process of engaging with the management of departments and municipalities with high volumes of cases, with a view to both improve responsiveness and assisting them to use the information to inform service delivery improvements.
“We are gradually making progress and living up to President Jacob Zuma’s promise that citizens will have a platform to communicate with government and get assistance they deserve. As we have begun with our frontline service delivery monitoring the hotline provides us with good data on which areas needs immediate attention and we will respond” says Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane.
In response to citizens directly, Ms Thembisile Dlamini, a divorce attorney, complained about the Central Divorce Court in Johannesburg. She complained about files constantly being lost, resulting in delays in the cases. On intervention by the Presidential Hotlline the case was referred to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ) which intervened immediately.
On investigation, it was established that the file had been transferred to Vereeniging. The department had the file delivered to the attorney’s office and the attorney was able to proceed with the case.
In another case; Ms Thandi Joyce Toso went to the Department of Labour in Gauteng povince to find out why she was not getting the money due to her after her husband’s death. She was told that her late husband’s information does not appear on the system.
On investigation, it appeared that the deceased husband was also married traditionally and had another wife. An investigator from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) investigated the matter further with the assistance of the Department of Labour Head Office, and after the correct documents were submitted at the provincial Department of Labour Office, the claim was paid out to Ms Thandi Joyce Toso in full.
In both cases and in many cases resolved by the hotline the complainants were grateful for the assistance they received.
The Presidency is aware that there are still a number of citizens who are awaiting responses and while we celebrate our achievements we are mindful that a lot still needs to be done to achieve 100% call resolution rate. The Presidency will work hard to ensure that every citizen receives a response.
Enquiries:
Harold Maloka
Spokesperson for Ministry for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in The Presidency
Cell: 082 847 9799
E-ail: harold@po.gov.za or maloka.harold@gmail.com
Issued by: The Presidency
21 Feb 2012
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