Complain to City SMS line

The City of Cape Town has launched a short message service (SMS) for its ombudsman aimed at helping residents with queries or complaints to seek assistance as well as holding the council accountable.

Ombudsman Vusumzi Magwebu said the new service would give the City’s most vulnerable residents greater access to information and complaint channels.

He said his office would strive to respond to messages within two working days of their receipt.

“It is important that our services are accessible especially to the most vulnerable residents,” Magwebu said.

“We have to move with the times and offer services on the channels that our residents use most. Covid-19 will also continue to have a profound impact on how services are offered,” he added, referring to restrictions that have been in place to varying degrees for over a year in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the system, residents lodging queries or complaints will be required to submit a brief description along with their full names, municipal account number and contact telephone numbers.

An automated response that the message has been received will be sent back to them and the office of the ombudsman will assess the matter and notify residents on the outcome within two days.

If the matter needs further investigation, residents will have to fill online forms.

For complex queries, turnaround time could take about three months.

African News Agency