Hotline to Zuma

Fiveteen years after apartheid ended the lives of many South Africans have not improved. During the summer, the poor of the country took to the streets in violent protest over the lack of basic services.

Reacting to the protest, recently elected President Jacob Zuma has started a hot line to his office. The purpose of the hot line is so people can complain about the lack of water or electricity or any thing else.

From Reuters Alert Net, we read more about Zuma's efforts to reach out to the rioters.

Zuma, who took office in May, has pledged to do more for the poor, but financial woes in Africa's biggest economy have limited his ability to carry out the main plank of his party's election manifesto.

"You may receive calls from very angry people," Zuma, who took calls himself as the hotline opened, told call centre staff.

"They will say there's no water, there's no electricity," Zuma was quoted by government news agency BuaNews as saying.

Vusi Mona, head of communications in the president's office, said 2,420 calls to the toll-free number were being handled each hour.