We Nelson Mandela Bay residents get notifications from the municipality via social media about water or electricity outages, listing the areas affected and, occasionally, the time frame for the expected completion of repair work.
Most of the messages include “areas were affected by the vandalism to infrastructure”.
I find this insulting, as we know the real cause of the outages is simply a lack of service delivery and maintenance of existing structure or the municipality’s failure to spend the money it receives to improve infrastructure.
However, what is most insulting to me, and I am sure I speak on behalf of thousands, is the last paragraph: “The municipality apologises for the inconvenience and appreciates residents’ patience and co-operation while essential repairs are undertaken.”
Let me be clear to the circus and the head clown: we are not patient!
We are not co-operating, and we most certainly do not accept your apology.
Gordon Upton
