Focus On: Area offices and customer relations

GEORGE NEWS - The George municipal area is large, with several outlying areas as well as Uniondale, a town in the Little Karoo about 110km away.

To allow all residents to have reasonable access to municipal services, the municipality operates area offices in Blanco, Conville, Rosemoor, Pacaltsdorp, Thembalethu, Touwsranten, Protea Park, Uniondale and Haarlem.

The senior manager for customer relations in the Directorate Financial Services, Johann du Preez, has confirmed that he and his team are working towards reopening the Rosedale area office.

The area offices function as one-stop service centres aimed at improving service delivery to residents, in alignment with applicable legislation, municipal policies and the Cogta ‘Back to Basics’ Programme.

Municipal payments can be made at the Uniondale and Haarlem area offices, as well as at the Hoekwil Post Office (mornings) and at the Touwsranten area office in the afternoons.

Services rendered by area offices include all account-related enquiries, as well as general enquiries and the reporting of faults to the relevant directorates.

These include Civil Engineering Services (such as water leakages, blocked drains and potholes), Electro-Technical Services (including cable theft and streetlights not working), Financial Services (accounts, indigent accounts, free basic units, prepaid services and municipal campaigns), Community Services (black bags, refuse removal and illegal dumping), and Human Settlements Services (housing applications and enquiries, waiting lists and related complaints).

Additional services include intergovernmental enquiries relating to Sassa, updating of housing database details and gunplast (durable plastic sheeting) requests, indigent enquiries and applications, submission of water meter readings, and assistance during public participation processes.

Area offices are open to the public on weekdays from 07:45 to 16:30.