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The
Empowerdex Service Delivery Index 2009 gives Johannesburg the highest score in the country
for delivery of essential services.
JOHANNESBURG continues to
excel in providing quality services to its residents, an independent survey has
found.
The provision of electriciy is a key service
The
Empowerdex Service Delivery Index 2009 ranks Johannesburg as one of the best
municipalities in the country in terms of delivering good services to citizens.
The study measures the performance of all 231 local municipalities, 46 district
councils, six metropolitan municipalities and provinces on actual delivery.
Good
scores were received in the delivery of water, sanitation and electricity, with
Joburg getting more than 90 out of 100 in these categories.
The
index also measures the improvements in service delivery over a period of time,
comparing the results of the 2007 Community Survey with Census 2001.
Johannesburg,
whose population grew by 15,7 percent during this period, is ranked second
overall after Cape Town for services such as housing, water, electricity, waste
removal and sanitation with a score of 70,8.
Responding
to the results of the survey, Joburg's communications director, Gabu Tugwana,
said the City was "pleased" with the findings.
"Of
particular interest is the fact that Johannesburg
scored the highest rating in three of the most essential areas of service
delivery, namely water, sanitation and electricity for heating."
Three
indices
The study looks at three indices: the status index, based on the current
proportion of households that have access to a particular service; the
improvement index, based on the percentage change of households with access to
a particular service; and an overall score out of 100, with each service
equally weighted at a maximum of 20 points.
Pikitup provides an essential service
The
release of the survey results comes at a time when many municipalities are
dogged by protests from residents clamouring for better, more effective service
delivery. According to Empowerdex, the report provides an insight into whether
these protests reflect genuine community concerns or "manipulation of information
by community and political leaders for any particular reason".
"It
[the report] highlights actual shortcomings in delivery which can then be
addressed appropriately. It also provides a benchmark from which to assess the
future performance of a new administration that has placed an emphasis on the
need to strengthen public institutions and reinforce a culture of service
delivery at all levels."
The
study confirms the findings of the City's own annual customer satisfaction
survey, which reflects a steady growth in satisfaction with service delivery
between 2006 and 2009.
The
2009 customer satisfaction survey, which
measures satisfaction levels in broad categories like core household services,
community services and public safety, found that overall satisfaction levels
among residents and businesses had consistently risen since 2007.
In
addition, the City has won accolades from the department of provincial and
local government for being the best metropolitan municipality in terms of
performance. It has won the Vuna Award
for two
years in a row, in 2007 and 2008.
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