Community survey to measure service delivery

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Cape Town – Minister in the Presidency for Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, said Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will conduct a community survey to gauge service delivery since 1996.

The Minister also said Stats SA would undertake a separate “dipstick” survey in KwaZulu-Natal to measure the level of customer satisfaction on the services that were rolled out by government.

He said this as part of Stats SA’s Budget Vote in Parliament on Wednesday.

The main community survey will cover a period of 20 years – the second of its kind after Census – with the aim of giving government a sense of what has been achieved as far as service delivery is concerned and what still needs to be done.

“The survey is envisaged to commence in the field from the beginning of February 2016 - March 2016.

“It will provide us the information means by which we will know whether or not we are on the right path towards successfully implementing our vision or not. 

“What more of what or what less of what should be done and what trade-offs provide the best outcome,” he said.

Minister Radebe said he expected to get the results of the survey 14 months from now.

He said, meanwhile, that at the request of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu, Stats SA would conduct a user paid customer satisfaction survey in October this year.

“This survey will deliver to the war room of KwaZulu-Natal perspectives on the delivery of services from the side of the consumer and how satisfied or otherwise, they are with these,” he said.

The Minister said this survey was aimed at asking customers not only if services were delivered, but whether such services are in good working order.

“They will confirm as citizens whether the tap actually delivers water or whether there are critical disruptions. 

“These citizens’ survey on levels of approval or disapproval regarding the services at their disposal, raises the quality of accountability and should deliver better fruits of democracy,” he said.

He said that the results of the survey would be expected by the end of the year.

National Accounts to be improved

Minister Radebe also said that Stats SA and the South African Reserve Bank would embark on a programme of improving the country’s National Accounts.

National Accounts is the implementation of credible, complete accounting techniques that are used to measure South Africa’s economic activity.

The Minister said both the Reserve Bank and Stats SA have agreed that it would be desirable to have the three sides of the National Accounts to be implemented under one roof.

He said by March next year, the first expenditure side of the National Account will be delivered by Stats SA to complement the production and income sides of the Gross Domestic Product.

“Having implemented the most recent System of National Accounts in November 2015, Stats SA will strive to further its implementation of the System of Environmental Economic Accounts and associated frameworks this year. Through the integration of the environment and the economy, policy makers will be further equipped to make decisions that will ensure sustainable economic growth,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za