Citizens and public service users are active holders of fundamental rights and not merely passive users of public services. Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) allows civil society to gather and analyse information from the service users’ points of view.

This provides a strong body of evidence to take back to government and, where necessary, into the public domain, in order to better the delivery of services where needed and to acknowledge good service where it is provided.

Learn about why we do it

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Why Community-Based Monitoring is Important

Our surveys

The Black Sash and Community Partners have been promoting citizens’ monitoring for a number of years. We work with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) to learn and demonstrate how government can make citizen voices an integral part of the way public services are managed.

Local Government - Citizen
Feedback of users of local government office
SAPO SLA Pay Site
Surveys administered at a formal SAPO pay site - either a SAPO branch or a mobile pay site. The intention of this survey is to monitor the level and quality of the provision of grant disbursement services to beneficiaries.
SAPO SLA Retailers
Surveys administered at retail stores. The intention of this survey is to monitor the level and quality of the provision of grant disbursement services to beneficiaries.
SASSA Cash Preference
The SASSA Cash Preference Monitoring Survey is administered to social grant beneficiaries who select to have their grants paid out in cash.
SASSA Paypoint - Citizen
Feedback of users of SASSA Pay Points
SASSA / SAPO Card Swap
The SASSA / SAPO Card Swap Transition Monitoring Survey is administered to social grant beneficiaries moving over to the new SAPO banking account and card.
SASSA Service Office - Citizen
Feedback of users of SASSA Service Offices