The recent debacle regarding the electricity and water outages that residents of Ermelo had to endure has certainly become the talk of the town.
Judging by the not-so-positive coverage our beloved town has received in national media networks, Ermelo could well be the talk of the nation.
What a disgrace!
The only positive light in which to see the fiasco (that is if the power is on long enough to provide some light – excuse the pun) is the realization that we all have become much too dependent on the ease and comforts of modern technology. We have become used to the ease of simply flicking a switch for electricity or turning a tap to provide us with water.
For those who are able to do so, the answer is, of course, simple (and they are quick to tell the rest of us). “Get a generator” or “Get a water tank and a pump.”
This is, however, not so simple, because not everyone can afford these handy alternatives. There are also cases where even if Mr Jones or Ms Nkosi could afford these luxuries, they are perhaps too old and frail to get their generators started or too weak to carry large water containers. The alternatives then become a burden.
Getting back to the recent (and still on-going) breakdown of essential services, will the public ever know the whole truth behind what or who was the cause of the problem? Stories, accusations, reasons, rumours, different explanations from different sources have only served to confuse the issue.
I believe most people do not care about who is to bless and who is to blame – they simply want the authorities to work towards providing the services that are paid for and which they deserve.
The sad fact of the matter is that even only 10 to 15 years ago the services were in place and things were up and running and functioning according to plan. Granted, there were hiccups now and then, but they were soon attended to. Somehow someone has dropped the baton and we are losing the race.
How is it possible that the powers that be can turn a blind eye to the problems or simply wait until a problem is reported before action is taken with regard to upgrading the electricity, water and sewerage networks or repairing the hundreds of potholes in town?
The excuse of there being no money has by now worn thin with consumers and ratepayers.
The question is: why is there no money? Isn’t it about time that someone looked into the reason for there being no money and rectifying whatever the cause is?
The patience of the consumer and ratepayer is being exhausted.
The baton needs to be picked up and the race must be run with the finish line firmly in sight.
