The Lephalale Municipality aims to provide consistent service excellence whenever customers make contact with the municipality. This aim incorporates the Municipality’s commitment to ensuring the human rights principles set out in the South African Constitution, the eight Batho Pele principles aimed at transforming public service, and ‘getting it right the first time.’
The Lephalale Municipality will continually remind its staff of the core values that should guide all interaction with customers, including:
• Efficiency
• Professionalism
• Commitment and respect
• Integrity, morality and transparency
• Innovation
• Equity and fairness
• Compassion and dignity
Batho Pele means “People First” and the eight principles set out in it are the foundation of national Government’s approach to guide all interaction between Government institutions and its public:
• Access: Equitable access to integrated service delivery.
• Openness and Transparency: Creating a culture of collaboration.
• Consultation: Listening to the needs and problems of citizens.
• Redress: Apologising when necessary and finding speedy solutions when possible.
• Courtesy: Services offered with courtesy and consideration.
• Service Standards: Anticipating needs and informing citizens of the level and quality of service they can expect.
• Information: Complete, accurate information about the municipality and its services.
• Value for Money: Delivering solutions economically and efficiently.
This approach is strengthened by the values underpinned in Schedule 2 of the Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000; the Code of Conduct for municipal staff members.
Customer Care in this context refers to this municipality’s commitment to make the customer’s contact with the municipality convenient and positive. The manner in which this is done is incorporated in the aim, values and Batho Pele principles communicated earlier in this document.
In practice, good Customer Care includes:
• A customer must be able to contact the municipality easily, reaching the correct department to handle its request or enquiry.
• A customer should have welcoming access to municipal buildings where adequate signage has been provided. Where practicable, access for the disabled should be provided. Incorporation of private areas for customers to discuss personal or sensitive matters should be considered where relevant and suitable.
• A customer should be assisted in their language of preference in accordance with the municipality’s Language Policy (English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa).
• A municipal member of staff should identify himself by name when communicating with a customer, listen attentively and respond appropriately.
• Providing customers with relevant, accurate and up-to-date information, including an explanation when a service is not available.
• Once a complaint, request or enquiry has been received, prompt action should be taken and a clear response should be given to the customer within the period stated in the Lephalale Municipality Customer Service Charter (Annexure A).
• In the case of ongoing or long-term problems, a customer should be kept informed of any anticipated delays and progress reported regularly on the way forward in addressing the complaints, requests or enquiries.
• In case of dissatisfaction, a customer should be explained the procedure for lodging a complaint, including relevant contact details.
• Training municipal staff to enable better service, increased awareness and understanding of values in this document.
• Actively and regularly seeking comments on service delivery with the purpose of ongoing development and improvement.
• Recognising staff who are exceptional in achieving service standards and who go beyond the call of duty for the customer.
Service Standards are important to ensure:
• That all customers, whether they are residents or visitors, or do business with municipality, will receive uniform, consistent high standards of customer care in all departments within the municipality.Service Standards are specific, service-oriented actions incorporated in the Customer Service Charter as a means to continually measure and improve service to its customers. At its core, the Standards aim to manage queries and complaints across all departments in a timeous, efficient and effective manner – incorporating the Customer Care principles discussed above.
Service Standards are designed to:
• Be measurable, with set performance targets which can be reviewed
• Stipulate the exact manner in which staff should behave in dealing with customers
• Incorporate training that would ensure that staff understand completely what is expected of them in terms of Customer Care
Service Standards, and the way in which the municipality will manage them, will be set out in the following document:
• Lephalale Municipality Customer Care Policy incorporating the Customer Service Charter, which includes the Service Standards.
Lephalale Municipality at a glance
Lephalale Local Municipality is home to 140 240 people which is 18% of Waterberg Municipality's total population of 757 000. Between 2008 and 2018, Lephalale LM experienced the largest increase in population in the Waterberg municipality, with an average annual growth rate of 2.87% between 2008 and 2018.
Directorate: Technical Services
This directorate is responsible for provision and maintenance of infrastructure with departments Public Works; and Water and Sewerage
Customers
Customers are all the people it deals with in the performing of its work. These include the people who live, work and play in the greater Lephalale Municipal Area as well as everyone the municipality does business with.
SERVICE STANDARDS
Designed to measure Customer Care services, the Lephalale Municipality has developed the following set of Service Standards for water services.
ANNEXURE A
WATER SERVICE STANDARDS
Lephalale Local Municipality aims to provide equitable, sustainable, people-centred, affordable and credible water services to all. To help us do so, we have created a charter for our consumers, in which we pledge to:
Provide the production, distribution and retail supply of potable water to your supply address, manage your accounts and answer any queries you have regarding the supply of water;
Collect, treat and dispose of domestic sewerage and waste water discharge from each customer’s premises or public amenities
Resolve technical complaints within 24 hours
Minimise the impact on the environment by ensuring efficient operation of the wastewater system
Promote use of alternative water sources for irrigation and industry
Ensure availability and reliability of water resources at all times.
Build consumer satisfaction and an enabling environment for the development of meaningful relationships with all stakeholders
Build community awareness, knowledge transfer and other skills
Establish a fair tariff that ensures all residents have access to basic water and sanitation, including
For indigent households, we pledge to:
Ensure the implementation of best management practices in the provision of water services
Provide 6 000 litres (6Kl) of free water per month as determined by the tariff policy
Provide VIP toilets - free sanitation
Service Interruptions
Lephalale Local Municipality water supply service is designed to be available twenty four (24) hours per day. Except in emergencies, the Municipality will give specific notice to customers of its intention to interrupt, postpone or limit the supply of water services for the purpose of regular maintenance or works programs. Notification will be given to both domestic customers and commercial/industrial customers at least three (3) days prior to the interruption or by agreement. The Municipality will endeavour to limit any disruption to water supply caused by service operations and maintenance activities.
Water Restrictions
During conditions or circumstances that necessitate restrictions on water use, the Municipality will ensure that sufficient water will be available to meet essential in house demand.
Consumers will be advised by written notice of any water restrictions imposed by the Water Service Authority, including the restriction details, period of restriction and any penalties associated with breach of the restrictions.
Reasons that may cause the LLM to apply restrictions include:
Supply limitations;
During a drought or on the anticipated approach of a drought
Compliance with terms and conditions of special agreements;
Where continuity of supply needs to be maintained where a short term problem with system capacity or asset performance is experienced.
Consumer responsibilities
Consumers also have responsibilities in respect of saving and using water. These are to:
Adhere to acts, municipal ordinances, by-laws and water restriction notices
Be water conservation conscious and make saving water a way of life
Not to flush foreign objects, used oil and materials into the sewer system
Not to discharge rain / surface water to the sewer system
Pay for services over and above any free allocation
Report by-law contraventions to the water hotline number
Ensure that the water meter and sewer boundary chamber are always accessible
In order to maintain the above consumer charter and continuously improve consumer service, the Municipality is currently implementing Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Programme.
The table below reflect the response times for the provision of water services:
| DIRECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES | ||
|---|---|---|
| SERVICE TITLE | SERVICE DESCRIPTION | SERVICE LEVEL DAYS |
| WATER | Burst Pipe: Minor Leakage | 2 |
| Faulty Meters | 5 | |
| Fire Hydrant Leakage | 3 | |
| Meter Testing | 20 | |
| New Connections: Water | 5 | |
| Valve Leakages | 2 | |
| Water: Quality Check | 5 | |
| Water: Tanker Delivery | 2 | |
| Burst Pipe: Major Leakage | 1 | |
| AUGMENTATION | General - Correspondence | 10 |
Department: Infrastructure Directorate
Water Division
Contacts
Urban/ Town - Standby Nr : 0827700085
Rural Villages – Standby Nr : 0827580268
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