Pretoria - Despite challenges in service delivery, the majority of residents in the City of Johannesburg seem to be satisfied customers.
The Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey shows a marginal improvement in the way residents feel about the core services rendered by the city. The satisfaction index rose from 58 in 2005 to 65 in 2010.
The survey was conducted among 3 000 residents and the business community in Johannesburg. It was carried out by the Bureau for Market Research (BMR).
The core services include electricity, sanitation, refuse collection, storm water drainage, neighbourhood streets, water and streetlights.
Refuse collection recorded the highest satisfaction rating compared with all other core services. Only 4.7 percent of the households were dissatisfied, claiming that refuse was seldom collected - which poses health risks.
Water provision was listed amongst the top three in 2010, with only 11.2 percent of the households being dissatisfied with service cuts.
Residents in Roodepoort, Soweto, Sandton and Alexandra were most satisfied with electricity services.
However, 16 percent of households were dissatisfied with electricity in 2010. Service interruptions and high tariffs were the main culprits.
About 20 percent of residents were also not impressed with the condition of neighbourhood roads, saying they were poorly maintained.
Poor lighting on the streets was also a major source of dissatisfaction with residents. Some feel that Johannesburg is an unsafe place after dark.
On the other hand, the survey shows deterioration from last year in the satisfaction with street cleanliness, ambulance services and regularisation of informal settlements.
Customer care is one area that took a big knock, decreasing by 15 percentage points.
The researchers said the results could be influenced by external factors such as the slowdown in international economic performance, which led to lower consumer and business confidence.
Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo, who presented the findings on Wednesday, said the results were important to help the city identify areas where it needed to improve.
