‘Stop picking on municipal staff’
In the face of pressure from many sides, Dr Thabethe commended Water and Sanitation staff who are also under pressure to work effectively despite the increased workload.
The municipality is experiencing increased pipe failures and sewage blockages.
In response to queries from the media, Head of Communications Dr Dumisani Thabethe said this has resulted in tension between management and its workforce.
However, he called this a facet of the modern workplace.
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In the face of pressure from many sides, Dr Thabethe commended Water and Sanitation staff who are also under pressure to work effectively despite the increased workload.
This often necessitates long hours in ‘difficult and often unsanitary conditions’.
“They are on call 24-7, are highly visible to the public and are regularly threatened with being reported to the [Newcastle] Advertiser by the public.”
Dr Thabethe reminded residents of the incident involving the heroics of a female Protection Services employee who crawled into a bulk water pipe to rescue a Water Services worker, who had been sucked into the pipe but despite her efforts, he later perished from his injuries.
Even last Friday, he added, two contractors were almost killed when a slip in an excavation forced their legs beneath a burst pipe they were trying to repair.
“One can see working conditions can be very dangerous, yet despite these instances and the dangerous and unsanitary conditions, our safety record is outstanding.”
According to Dr Thabethe, the municipality has communicated its long-term plans and associated challenges for pipe replacements but that problems extended to all aspects of infrastructure.
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“Obviously the largest challenge is that of financing the huge scope of work required to restore our ageing infrastructure,” he explained.
Dr Thabethe went on to say the names of streets mentioned by the media were incorrect and stressed the importance of how critical how critical it is for the municipal Call Centre to be given correct addresses or locations of water or sanitation problems.
Inaccurate information, he said, leads to delays or a failure to address the problem.
Dr Thabethe also chastised the public for ‘constantly berating Water and Sanitation workers in the media, tearing the heart out of the workers year after year’.
“Perhaps some appreciation and a ‘good job, guys’ now and again would have a better effect on their morale and productivity,” he admonished.
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