We will not always agree with one another about who is to blame for the five-day water crisis that saw thousands of residents in Mogale City inconvenienced to the point of desperation last week.
Was it the resident Council engineer who gave the order to switch off water supply so that work on the reservoir could continue, possibly without checking first if reserve lines were in place to ensure uninterrupted supply during the project?
Was it the contractor tasked with the project who was to blame? Was it officials in our municipality’s Infrastructure Department?
Was it the Municipal Manager who is the Municipality’s Chief Accounting Officer or the Executive Mayor with whom the buck stops?
Everyone has the right to form an opinion about last week’s event and to play a different version of the blame game.
The point is that mistakes can be made. We all make them. But let’s be honest and own up when a mistake has been made. What is unforgiveable is when we keep making the same mistakes. And it is even worse,when we turn our backs and abandon those who have to take the brunt of our mistakes.
All that was needed was to set up a communication network through councillors and other organisations to keep residents informed of the nature and duration of the problem. People could then make contingency plans.
But when inaccurate information (an incorrect email was sent to certain ratepayers by City Hall, stating that the water disruption would last until the end of the month!) or inconsistent information is released as an afterthought because the reaction of the community is reaching boiling point … that is unforgiveable!
A municipal communications department is not just there to place expensive advertisements in glossy magazines to promote our picturesque city. It is there, above all else, to communicate with residents and to tell them the truth. That is its core function.
