The City of Johannesburg has recently released the findings of the annual Quality of Life Survey and Pikitup has performed outstandingly, according to residents. 

The annual survey by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory, is of value to the City because it is the only instrument where residents are given the opportunity to express their views about their level of satisfaction with municipal services such as the provision of waste services, electricity, water, housing, health, road conditions, billing, safety and local government.

According to the survey, the City of Johannesburg has registered impressive service delivery results in two areas which are dwelling, which registered a 73% satisfaction level and refuse removal which registered a staggering 82% satisfaction rating.

The graph below illustrates the satisfaction levels of citizens.

Pikitup’s Managing Director Bukelwa Njingolo welcomed the impressive achievements, however the survey also recommends areas of improvement. The areas where Pikitup needs to redouble its service delivery efforts are in wards 127, 8, 114, 85 and 7.

“We need to redouble our efforts towards ensuring that we reach the 100% customer satisfaction level. We have increased shifts, especially in the inner city, as part of the City’s major plan to reinvigorate the area and attract business,” said Njingolo.

In its recommendations, the study avers that Pikitup must:
• Promote multi-stakeholder collaborative clean-up campaigns with residents in all the listed wards;
• Increase the frequency of refuse collection;
• Accelerate the uptake and integration of the circular economy into the waste value chain at the local level to promote economic development that goes hand in hand with environmental beautification; and
• Promote recycling, waste minimisation and smart waste conversion

It is also noteworthy that the respondents of the study recommended that municipalities should strive to communicate with them via the WhatsApp platform as indicated by their responses to the medium of communication platforms that they preferred.

Njingolo said Pikitup needed to improve the way it communicates to residents using platforms that residents prefer.