People suffer because of City’s bureaucracy

ON THE evening of March 17, the water to the residence of the elderly Petersen couple was reconnected after one year of no bathing and zero sanitation. A lot of their clothes they had to give away as they were smelling because they did not have enough water to wash all their clothes and bedding.

It was on March 2 that I first shared their story and it appeared in the Argus. This jolted the ward councillor Eddie Andrews into action. To his credit, he personally took them through the process. Their indigent application was successful, and their arrears should be scrapped, which we will follow up on. The success of this case can only be attributed to the focus and attention it received.

There are many, many cases like this that are causing untold suffering. Where the City has policies and processes in place to assist, they are laborious and cumbersome. Most people struggle to navigate them, never mind the elderly who often have mobility issues. There must be a humanitarian approach to this problem. We understand the need for the City to collect revenue, but this must be done in a way that does not deny citizens their basic human rights. The City must stop its policy of water disconnections and the trickle system which is inhumane – denying another human right which is sanitation.

In South Africa we are faced with a triple pandemic namely Covid-19, poverty and joblessness. The City must amend its policies to cater for this triple pandemic. With all the struggles many people are going through, do not deny them their basic human rights, adding insult to injury and in the process potentially leading to unintended consequences such as sickness, depression and domestic violence. The City politicians and ward councillors are elected by the people as their representatives to serve the interests of the people – the politicians forget this the moment they take office. MADINY DARRIES | Pinelands