Web improvements make fault reporting a walk in the park

14 May 2023

The City of Cape Town has added several features to its web service request page to make it easier for residents to report faults and service requests. These enhancements, which include a new map functionality with a pin drop to plot a fault location, will make it easier for residents to select a location in instances where there is no exact street address, like along public open spaces and in informal settlements.

'The City of Cape Town is committed to excellent service delivery. We are always investigating solutions that will make it easier for residents to contact us, and report service requests or faults. We have been working on the enhancements to the web service request page on the City's website for almost two years. We have tried and tested these, and I am elated to say the enhancements are now live. These additions will also assist our different City directorates to improve their response times because often wrong addresses, or the wrong type of service request result in delays,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.

The enhancements to the webpage where residents can create a service request, or search for a service request, include five new features:

Two additional search options will assist residents to search for and select the correct category for their complaint or request
We have added descriptions and photos for some tricky categories to tell residents more about the category they have selected. These will indicate whether you have selected the appropriate complaint type
We have replaced the Google Maps application with the City's GIS map to improve the accuracy of location information. This will make it much easier for residents to locate faults in areas with no specific street address, such as in public open spaces or less formal areas
Residents can now subscribe to get status updates on an existing incident that has been reported by other residents already. This is useful for incidents when there are burst pipes, potholes, electricity outages, and so forth in their local neighbourhood. By subscribing, residents will get the status updates on the existing fault or service request
Residents will now also have the option to dispute a closed service request. This is in cases where the request has been closed, but the work has not been done, or is incomplete. Evidence such as photos can be attached to the dispute. The dispute will be escalated to response teams for investigation and intervention, as needed

'It often happens that more than one person reports the same fault to the City, for example, a burst pipe or a pothole. What usually happens is that the City will only keep one service request open, and close all the others, while we are still busy fixing the pipe or the pothole. Residents are thus rightfully confused when they get a notification that their request has been successfully completed and is now closed.

'By adding this option to dispute a closed service request, we make it easier for residents to alert us to cases where action is still needed. I invite residents to try these new enhancements that are intended to improve the City's responsiveness and interventions,' said Alderman Uys.

Videos with a step-by-step guide on how to use and navigate the above enhancements are available on the City's website at: Submit a service request.

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