A few weeks ago, I was privileged to take an early morning jog along the promenade in Umhlanga, an experience enhanced by the company of my son.
For those readers who may not be aware, the promenade is a project that falls under the Umhlanga Urban Improvement Project (UIP), a partnership between the Durban Metro and Umhlanga property owners.
Being a partnership, maintenance, and upkeep of the 3km promenade is shared between the Metro and the UIP. What was striking, and brought out the difference in attitude and productivity between the private and public sectors was the energy and focus that was evident in the UIP crews at 7:30 that Friday morning.
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The blue overall clad Metro staff by contrast were milling around in various stages of preparedness, with very few of them actually applying themselves to their designated tasks. Apart from the fact that the size of the teams was much smaller, there was no supervisor or foreman directing or policing them.
Productivity is the grease that keeps the wheels of the private sector moving, but there is a perception, often a belief, in the public sector that raising productivity will result in job losses.
The reality is quite different in my view: the positivity and appreciation that well executed public services engenders in citizens results in enhanced economic confidence and satisfaction.
In these instances, not many citizens would begrudge a sanitation team returning to their depot at 3pm having completed their designated tasks efficiently.
What we are experiencing is a rapidly deteriorating rate of (particularly) municipal service delivery, with the same level of staffing, so it is understandable that questions start being asked about the labour count responsible for this non-delivery of service.
To bring the point right home: I am a certain I am not alone in wondering what the hundreds of staff responsible for water service delivery at Ugu are actually doing when large swathes of the district remain without a consistent supply for weeks or months on end?
Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
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