Speaking at the launch of the hotline in Soweto on Thursday, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said: "The hotline will focus on improving service delivery by providing accurate, reliable and timeous information to the residents of Gauteng on all services rendered by government."
Residents will also be encouraged to send opinions and recommendations, which will be used to improve service delivery.
Mokonyane described the launch of the hotline, which is a toll-free number, as one of the milestones in government's efforts to improve communication with Gauteng residents.
The idea behind the hotline was informed by statistics released by the national Presidential Hotline, which showed that the majority of calls logged emanated from Gauteng.
"This means that Gauteng residents are in dire need of direct contact with their government at provincial level," said Mokonyane, adding that this platform will enable residents to "escalate matters easily".
She said the provincial government, together with its municipalities, has actively participated in the success of the Presidential Hotline.
The soft launch of the provincial hotline was done in March last year to test system, and 95 000 calls were handled.
Mokonyane said issues ranged from housing, electricity cut-off and installation, the billing system across municipalities, fraud and corruption, among others.
The premier said 70% of the calls logged were resolved, while 30% were resolved at departmental and municipal level.
"The feedback we received since the soft launch period indicates a reasonable level of satisfaction amongst the callers and enthusiasm as a result of the professionalism demonstrated by our call centre agents when handling their concerns."
With 70 trained agents, whom Mokonyane described as all-rounders, working per day, residents will be able to get a response within 72 hours.
The call centre will operate between 7am and 10 pm.
Mokonyane urged residents to provide detailed information for consistency and improving response time.
The hotline number is 0860 428 8364.
Residents can also get in touch by:
• Email - az.vog.gnetuag@eniltoh
• Fax - 011 429 3223
• Post - Private Bag x 115, Marshalltown, Johannesburg, 2107
Mokonyane assured residents that the hotline was not aimed at replacing the provincial government's outreach programmes, but enhancing contact with the people.
"The hotline will be able to take us to greater heights," Mokonyane said.
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