Dear Newcastle Municipality: ‘Get your ducks in a row!’
Although an official reply was not received in writing at the time of going to press, Head of Communications, Dr Dumisani Thabethe admitted staff and monetary constraints meant many issues had not yet been attended to.
UPDATE: Municipality responds to water gone to waste
Ducks and dinosaurs are the latest weapon against potholes.
When reporting a deep pothole on Coronation Drive to Newcastle Municipality didn’t do the trick, Anel du Preez took to guerrilla marketing to get her point across, one Facebook post at a time.
It began with two images and a message:
“Dear Newcastle Municipality, it is with great excitement that I can inform you of the migrating ducks that have started using the pond outside my home as a layover on their trip to warmer weather. You see, the patch of wetness on the road turned into a bird bath and now a pond. I am excited to see what will turn up next, will keep you informed.”
Anel said the pothole existed since the family moved to the area in October 2017, and worsened due to the consistent traffic on the street. Steadily, the tar around it began to deteriorate. The pipe beneath the road appears to have perished as well, filling the hole and creating what Anel humorously calls her pond.
“The pond grew from a patch to this. It’s definitely affected our water pressure. This water is going to waste, particularly when we’re heading into a drier season.”
As director of her own company, focused on communication, marketing enterprise and community development, Anel is used to finding solutions to problems and after initial irritation, sought a different approach to the situation.
To her, humour is a big part of the South African backbone.
She has been pleasantly surprised at the response to her Facebook post about migratory ducks, with many reacting, commenting and sharing her post and images.
For Anel however, it boils down to preservation.
“We need to preserve water; it’s the essence of what we must save. I’m also part of the [Newcastle] Sakekamer, and infrastructure management is crucial to Newcastle, especially with our new municipal leadership.”
Newcastle Municipality was contacted for response on the matter.
Although an official reply was not received in writing at the time of going to press, Head of Communications, Dr Dumisani Thabethe admitted staff and monetary constraints meant many issues had not yet been attended to.
He expected the situation to improve in the new financial year (July).
“We want to apologise to customers and consumers, because the services we deliver are not to be desired, due to current circumstances,” concluded Dr Thabethe.
ALSO READ: Municipality explains ‘additions’ to rate’s bills
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