An annoyed huff and a gumsnapping glance

Allow me the privilege of relaying the outstanding experience I endured this morning, at the KwaDukuza Municipality Civic Building.

Entering the hallowed halls of our town’s epicentre was quite the palaver, what with the two disinterested security guards at the entrance refusing to let anyone in before 8am – this despite a sign clearly stating that operating hours are between 7.45am and 4.15pm. To his credit, though, he gave me a hapless grin and informed me that “everybody only comes at 8am”.

He wasn’t fibbing, I’ll give him that much. The building was a veritable ghost town until a barrage of staff members ambled in, seemingly in no hurry to help us. (I mean, who are we, anyway? Just the ratepayers. No big deal).

Finally, I was directed to the Mayor’s office, where I was . . . ‘greeted’, and I use that term loosely (I wouldn’t call an annoyed huff and gum-snapping glance a greeting, but each to his own) by a clerk. I graciously waited for her to finish with a few gravely important matters on her cellphone, and more gum-snapping calls on the landline; I had nowhere else to be, so why not?

“Yes, sanibona,” she sighs tiredly, raising her eyebrows at us (there is, by now, a queue). I politely request a form for proof of residence and state my ward.

“I don’t have. Go find your councillor,” she waves me on as though I am a fly buzzing around her lunch. When I humbly point out that the councillor sent me here, she shrugs and barks: “Well, he knows he didn’t bring anything here, so there’s nothing.”

Of course, pointing out that I’d already contacted the councillor – who had none of these elusive ‘forms’ in his possession – and asking if anyone else could help me was pointless.

So, well done KDM. Your complete lack of customer service, cleanliness, and, quite simply, old-fashioned manners, is to be commended.

JODI VAN WYK

KwaDukuza