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Top SA municipalities are losing residents’ trust and satisfaction

Residents in some of South Africa’s biggest municipalities and metros are losing trust and satisfaction with the quality of services delivered to them.

This is according to the latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) for municipalities, conducted by Consulta.

The index surveyed residents from the Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Buffalo City, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay to gauge their satisfaction with their local municipality, giving each city a score out of 100.

Cape Town scored the highest overall score at 68.5, well ahead of the industry average, however the Mother City’s score is down from 70.3 in 2016 and 71.9 in the previous year.

Buffalo City, on the other end of the spectrum, has consistently received the lowest score with 47.2 in 2017, which is a slight decline from 47.6 in 2016 and marginally higher than its 2015 score of 47.1.

Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni improved with scores of 57 and 59.8 respectively, up from 54.6 and 58. Nelson Mandela Bay reported the most impressive improvement in customer satisfaction with a score of 59.0 in 2017, up by 5.2 compared to 53.8 in 2016.

“The 2016 Municipal Elections were a watershed moment for post-democracy politics in South Africa and people’s shifting sentiment was reflected in how they voted,” said Prof. Adré Schreuder, founder and CEO of Consulta. “Municipalities that saw significant changes in leadership increased their overall SAcsi scores, with the exception of Tshwane, which declined possibly due to lingering structural challenges.”

Customer complaints have been on the rise across all municipalities, apart from Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay, which have seen declines. The biggest complaint, making up 31% of all complaints, was related to water services, followed by 18% for electricity and 13% related to personnel, 11% for potholes and streets, 10% for garbage and 8% for tax bills. Street lights, crime and parks made up 4%, 3% and 1% of complaints respectively.

“While complaints are on the rise, this is not necessarily a negative thing,” Prof. Schreuder said. “This could be a sign that citizens feel their voices need to be heard and municipalities are providing better platforms for them to share their concerns.”

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