Letter: Deserted at lunchtime

Ms Lungile Khumalo of Mandeni writes:

There is a gentleman from the neighbourhood who is mentally challenged and has been living almost in the streets. As concerned neighbours in Mandeni, we give him food whenever he is around. He has not had a bath in months and his hygienic state is truly unacceptable and unbearable.

This week my friend and I decided to take him to the Department of Social Development here in Mandeni so that they can urgently assist him. We arrived around 12:40pm and there was only one person ahead of us. At about 12:55pm we were told that a social worker would see us shortly.

Around 1:15 we were told that all the social workers are busy and having lunch and they will be back at 2pm. We were told to wait since no one was available to attend us. Due to pressing matters in our personal lives, we left the gentleman around 1:20 to wait to be attended to. Unfortunately the gentleman left ten minutes later and never received any attention.

How is that all social workers go to lunch between 1 and 2pm? Public servants are guided by Batho Pele principles and it is unprofessional to have no social worker present? At least one social worker should be attending to the public during lunch hours.

Public servants should serve during office hours.

I am not only writing this email expressing my anger to what happened for the gentleman in my neighbourhood, it is also for the next person who will go to the Department of Social Development in Mandeni and expect to receive proper professional attention and assistance as according to Batho Pele principles.

Mandeni Social Department supervisor Nikiwe Ntombela said social workers had chosen to combine tea breaks with lunch and they all went out from 1 to 2pm.

“We do this to avoid people going out for lunch at different times. So having one lunch break for everyone makes our working process much faster.” – Editor.