South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), said on Thursday it had launched a new anti-corruption hotline to encourage residents to report corruption anonymously in the economic hub of Johannesburg.

It said the hotline demonstrated its commitment to working with residents in fighting graft in government and would provide communities with a safe platform through which to report corrupt activities.

The DA and other opposition parties say corruption by the African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since the advent of democracy in 1994, has siphoned resources away from programmes meant to better the lives of ordinary citizens.

"Residents of Johannesburg have not been spared the destructive impact of a government that chooses to steal money from its people and feed it to politically connected comrades," Johannesburg councillor Leah Knott, leader of the DA caucus, said in a statement.

"It is time to stop the rot. It is time to empower the residents to end corruption. It is time to find collective solutions to our problems."

She said the hotline was just one of several interventions her party had undertaken in Johannesburg to try and better the lives of residents.

The DA -- in an alliance with other opposition parties -- wrested control of Johannesburg in 2016 local government elections, but lost it back to the ANC last year amid political wrangling.

On Thursday Knott said the views canvassed from residents had informed the DA's decision to support the 2020/2021 Johannesburg budget after negotiating several significant interventions. She vowed the party would remain "rigorous in our oversight and monitor how every rand is spent".

"The DA Joburg (Johannesburg) anti-corruption hotline gives residents the platform to report corruption in a safe space," said Knott.

"We call on all Joburg residents to be our eyes and ears on the ground .... We will act on all credible information."