LINK APP now available in Swellendam Municipal area
In response to better customer service and service delivery, Swellendam Municipal residents will, as of 1 September 2022, be able to report service delivery problems via the LINK App.
The municipality has partnered with a software platform that already serves municipalities around the country to avoid the costs and resources of building an app. The LINK App currently provides reporting platforms to two municipalities in the Western Cape.
The app is designed for local government use only and allows residents to report all service delivery related problems, from potholes to illegal dumping. The municipality is currently not big enough to set up a customer service call centre. Still, it recognises the importance of reporting service delivery problems in real time and receiving timely feedback regarding reported incidents. It currently only has a system for reporting issues during office hours. With the LINK App, residents can report problems at their residential address or drop a location pin where the problem has occurred if the incident hasn’t happened at their residence.
Acting Municipal Manager, Anneleen Vorster, confirmed ‘Swellendam Municipality is dedicating more time and resources toward improving service delivery to its communities. The LINK App complaint system forms an integral part of this effort. It will allow direct interaction with residents and help us get a clearer picture and quicker comprehension of service delivery breakdowns. We encourage residents to use the reporting system as this will help service delivery.’
Executive Mayor, Francois du Rand further stated ‘Swellendam Municipality is seeking and using all means of driving possible innovative ideas and projects that will result in advancing service delivery and expanded communication channels to its ratepayers.
The LINK App will be an interactive platform for reporting service delivery problems and will complement our recently activated Infrastructure WhatsApp line. These two innovations in reporting will be able to assist all residents, from the tech-savvy to senior citizens.
‘We implore all residents to actively participate in these new and exciting developments to ensure their success.’
The Link App was developed by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) with the aim to reduce municipal expenditure on digital solutions and to bridge the gap between the municipality and its residents. “We are excited to see small municipalities such as Swellendam taking up SMART solutions such as LINK. We believe this is very progressive of the municipality to enhance communication with its customers whilst making incident reporting more convenient. We trust that this solution will help improve service delivery in Swellendam Municipality,” said Julius Kleynhans, Executive Manager for Social Innovation at OUTA.
Should residents not be able to download the app, incidents may still be reported via the municipality’s switchboard and the Infrastructure WhatsApp line during work hours or via the standby schedule’s contact numbers after hours.
LINK App can be downloaded from the Play Store and App Store via the following link; https://bit.ly/3JwQ505 and QR Code.
