Lesson learnt in what a proud heritage we have
"The pool is clean for you now," he said. "Enjoy your swim, sir."
EDITOR – First thing this morning (ok, at eight), I rode all the way to the Pipeline pool at Toti.
As I arrived, however, I could see that this pool, like the Winkle pool, was also closed. I sighed.
Nonetheless, I pushed open the gate and went in anyway, only to discover the cleaner was about to start cleaning the pool.
Since there are four pools at Pipeline I asked him if he wouldn't mind cleaning one of the smaller, paddling pools first so that I could swim in the main pool while he did so. “No,” he said. “It's not the structure.”
Undeterred, I felt all empowered and somewhat intrepid this morning so I tried to bribe the cleaner to clean one of the smaller pools first. After all, I thought, it is Heritage Day and bribery and corruption are very much a part of our South African heritage. I began the bribing at a measly R20 but quickly, just for the hell of it, went all the way up to R200, even waving the notes right in front of him.
“No sir,” he said again. “It's not the structure.”
So there I was, sitting at the poolside in the howling wind, waiting while the cleaner cleaned the municipal pool. Structurally. And honourably.
His name is Hamilton and I think he's been cleaning that pool every day for more than twenty years. When he'd finished, I shook his hand and apologised for my disgraceful behaviour.
“The pool is clean for you now,” he said. “Enjoy your swim, sir.”
That is what I call heritage.
Philip King
St Winifreds
