The presidential hotline has reached a milestone by logging more than 100 000 queries, according to the presidency.
During his address on the occasion of the presidency budget vote, minister for performance monitoring and evaluation Collins Chabane said this achievement proves how important the hotline has become to the people of SA.
“As at the end of March this year, a total number of over 95 000 calls had been logged nationally, of which over 71 000 were complaints.”
He added that of the total calls logged, over 67 000 calls have been resolved, which puts the resolution percentage at 70%.
“The ministries received a total number of 29 000 calls and over 22 000 calls have been resolved, which puts the resolution percentage at 78%. The provinces received a total number of over 29 000 calls. A total of over 8 000 calls have been resolved to date, which puts the resolution percentage at 28%.”
The minister said the provinces' resolution is too low and needs to be improved by more efficient responses.
“We are aware that there are still challenges with responding to all of the queries received and that there are people still awaiting assistance. We would like to assure our people that we are in the process of addressing those challenges, but progress we have made thus far shows that the hotline is maturing with time.”
Dodgy figures?
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) previously said the hotline has been no more than a testament to ANC failure.
DA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip says the figures given by Chabane are inaccurate.
“I don't believe these figures. They're much greater than the resolution figures we got when we tested the system. There was a vast number of dropped calls and it looks like he hasn't taken those into account. I feel that the figures have been massaged or manipulated.”
Trollip adds that the hotline has not been a success but rather a complete disaster. “For the amount of money we have spent on the hotline, it's really not something to be proud of.”
Costly failure
In its first year of operation, the hotline had been allocated almost R12 million of state funds, according to the DA.
The party adds that, despite this expenditure, the hotline has made little impact on improving South Africans' experiences of dealing with government.
“Instead of investing more state funds into this failed initiative, president Zuma's government should focus on improving service delivery in all spheres of government,” says Trollip.
The hotline, which can be reached on 17737, went live in September 2009 and operates on two shifts per day, with 10 people on each shift. It deals with complaints related to employment, housing, law, citizenship, potable water, social benefits, corruption, electricity, education, roads and health.
The hotline, established by president Jacob Zuma, was created to ensure citizens have easier access to the presidency and to enable greater interactivity.
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