The Presidency has defended President Jacob Zuma’s hotline after it emerged that 87 percent of all the calls made to the service went unanswered.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said yesterday they were addressing the hotline’s capacity problems.
He also slammed the DA – which had been calling the hotline to lodge a number of complaints – saying the party was abusing a system that was meant to be a lifeline for ordinary citizens.
Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane revealed in a written reply to a parliamentary question that the hotline received 445 197 calls between September 14 and October 30 last year, but was able to answer only 58 683.
He said the other 386 514 calls went unanswered for reasons that included long waiting periods owing to high call volumes, prank calls and loss of connectivity.
Of the calls that were answered, only 21 594 complaints could be registered.
“Not all of them want to complain. Some want to commend the government on the good work it is doing and others want to suggest areas of im-provement,” Magwenya noted.
DA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said the party had lodged more than 20 complaints since the hotline was launched, but there had been very little progress.
Source: www.thestar.co.za 20100223
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