Government call centres and help lines

Government has a number of help lines and call centres through which you can:

  • get information about services and programmes
  • report problems or make complaints
  • provide tip-offs to authorities about fraudulent or criminal activities.

The Presidential Hotline 17737 should be used when all your attempts to get assistance from a government department, province, municipality or state agency have failed. It is not only a complaints line. You can call to share your views or provide solutions to the challenges in your community.

We also list the help line numbers of non-governmental organisations working with government.

National

Presidential hotline
Deals with complaints about unresolved service delivery issues.
Tel:17737 (1 PRES)
Fax: 086 681 0987 /012 323 8246
E-mail:  President@presidency.gov.za

Fraud Hotline
Contact details: 0800 601 011
E-mail: gatewaycc@sita.co.za

AIDS help line
Tel: 0800 012 322

National Anti-corruption Forum
Tel: 0800 701 701

Call Centre for Investors (dti)
The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) provides a facilitation service to companies wanting to invest in South Africa. Trade and Investment South Africa (TISA) maps investor needs with opportunities in each of the nine provinces.
Tel: 0861 843 384 (SA callers) / +27 12 394 9500 (international callers)

Crime Stop
Report crime anonymously
Tel: 08600 10111

Department of Communications Ministerial hotline
Tel: 012 427 8292

Department of Education
Tel: 0800 202 933

Department of Environmental Affairs
Environmental affairs & tourism call centre
Tel: 086 111 2468  
Tip-offs anonymous on workplace dishonesty within environmental affairs
Tel: 0800 116 110  
Tip-offs on contraventions of environmental legislation
Tel: 0800 205 005

Department of Home Affairs
General enquiries: identity documents & travel documents - 0800 6011 90
Ministerial hotline for complaints and/or compliments - 0800 2044 76 E-mail: minister@dha.gov.za

Department of Human Settlements
Housing enquiries - toll free Customer service hotline - 0800 146 873 / 012 421 1915
Fraud hotline - 0800 204401

Department of Small Business Development
For information on support measures to SMMEs
Hotline: 0860 663 7867
Email: info@dsbd.gov.za

Department of Water Affairs
Water affairs enquiries - toll free 0800 200 200

Gender-based violence command centre
A 24-hour call centre dedicated to provide support and counselling to victims of Gender-Based Violence - 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV) / *120*7867# (free)

Government Employees Pension Fund
For pension and benefits queries - 0800 117 669
Anti-corruption hotline - 0800 43 43 73

Health complaints
Eastern Cape - 0800 032 364
Free State - 0800 535 554
Gauteng - 0800 203 886
KwaZulu-Natal - 033 395 2009
Limpopo - 0800 919 191
Mpumalanga - 0800 204 098
Northern Cape - 018 387 5778
Western Cape - 021 483 5624

Land Rights Awareness and Evictions
Land rights violations of any nature including illegal eviction - 0800 007095

Mental Health Information Line
Tel: 0800 567 567

Military Police Crime line
Tel: 0800 222 091

National Health System Ethics Line
Tel: 0800 20 14 144 14

National Traffic Call Centre (ntcc)
Report bad drivers, unsafe vehicles and reckless and negligent driver behaviour, as well as fraud and corruption within the traffic situation - 0861 400 800 (not toll free)

Public Protector SA
Investigates maladministration in government - 0800 112040

Public Works
Dedicated hotline for payments by department outstanding for over 30 days - 0800 782 542
Fax: 012 320 2854

South African Police Service
Reporting crime - 08600 10111
National firearm call centre
Enquiries about firearm licences - 012 353 6111
SAPS Service Evaluation for complaints about poor police service - 0800 333177
E-mail: CentreForServiceExcellence@saps.gov.za.
Childline: Report child abuse - 116
National Crisis Line 24 hour telephonic counselling service dealing with all forms of abuse, HIV/AIDS, bereavement, suicide and eating disorders - 0861 322 322

SARS
Fraud and anti-corruption hotline - 0800 00 28 70
National Call Centre: Call for income tax, VAT, Pay as you earn (PAYE), Tax clearance certificate, Customs - 0800 00 72 77 (0800 00 SARS)
Tax practitioners - 0800 12 12 19

Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda)
Public Sector SMME Payment Assistance Hotline - help with late government payments (more than 30 days) - 0860 766 3729 (0860 SMME PAY)
Fax: 012 452 0458

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
Grant and fraud hotline - 0800601011

South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
National Career Advice Helpline - 086 0111 673
E-mail: help@nqf.org.za

Provinces

Gauteng Provincial Government
General enquiries - 0860 GAUTENG (0860 428 8364)

KwaZulu-Natal
Department of Health: Service delivery complaints, information about health services,and antiretroviral therapy help line - 0800 005 133  
Provincial Treasury - 0800 201 049  
Transport - enquiries and offence reports - 086 221 1010
Online report facility

Western Cape Provincial Government
General enquiries (weekdays 08:00 - 18:00) - 0860 142 142
E-mail: questions@capegateway.gov.za

Non-governmental organisations

FAMSA
Advice on family relationships - 011 975 7107

LifeLine
Provides lay counselling, life skills training, lay counsellor development and facilitating related capacity building- 0861 322 322

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA)
Tel: 011 642 4345
After hours cellphone: 083 765 1235

Stop Gender Violence
Anonymous, confidential and accessible telephonic information, counselling and refferals, in all 11 official languages - 0800 428 428 or *120*7867#

Human trafficking
Report cases of human trafficking - hotline operated by the Salvation Army and Be Heard - 08007 37283 (0 8000-rescue)

National Institute for Communicable Diseases
(For medical enquiries) 0800 029 999

National Crisis Line
0861 322 322

For information on support to SMMEs in distress:
086 066 37867

For information on reporting undue price increases:
0800 141 880.

For information on tourism, hospitality services and travel restrictions:
Call Centre : 0860 868 747 / 0860-TOURISM (Tholakele)
Call Centre E-mail : callcentre@tourism.gov.za

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