City of Johannesburg launches e-Joburg portal for municipal services

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has launched e-Joburg, an online portal that residents can use to access municipal customer services.

The portal will allow city residents to pay rates and submit municipal documents electronically.

“The e-Joburg portal is a new tool designed for the delivery of smart municipal services in the most convenient way for Johannesburg residents,” Executive Mayor Mpho Moerane said in a statement.

The portal forms part of the city’s long-term Growth and Development Strategy.

“Inspired by our slogan – A world Class African City, the portal is a platform that the City will build on to become Africa’s leading Smart City,” Moerane added.

What you can do on the e-Joburg portal

Johannesburg residents and companies can register on the e-Joburg website for free using their details and municipal account number.

Once they add an account, they can pay municipal bills and select preferred payment types to do so.

They can also use portal to send queries or complaints to city officials.

The website will keep a record of all statements from the time residents register on it.

It will retain a minimum of two years’ history of statements and payments made on it.

Going forward, the city aims to add an electronic meter reading enabler. This will let ratepayers capture their readings electronically which the city can use to calculate billing.

“This means accurate billing and thus a subsequent improvement in happy customers and increased levels of payment,” Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance, Councillor Matshidiso Mfikoe explained.

The city also plans to introduce a low-cost WhatsApp function in the next phase of the rollout.

Residents will be able to view bills, make payments, and submit meter readings on the instant messaging app.

Read more: My Smart City service delivery app expands to Tshwane

Featured image: Unsplash/Clodagh Da Paixao