LITERALLY YOURS alex tabisher Few tellers, long queues, spell poor service delivery

IT SEEMS to me that the more we claim progress, the worse service delivery has become. For example, bank services. For openers, clients prefer to use the ATM machines. In fact, tellers advise one that the ATM option is cheaper than making large withdrawals in the bank. Does that make sense?

ATMs are situated outside the safety of the bank’s interior. It also seems that the original 16 windows for tellers have been reduced drastically for this reason. But there are those dinosaurs, like me and both my readers, who still prefer the human contact.

Fewer tellers then result in longer queues, which spells poorer service delivery to me, in terms of time.

This is progress? Am I missing something?

Then the enquiries to Telkom, Eskom, medical aid companies etc. They have a voice which opens your conversation with: “Please be patient as we are experiencing high volumes of calls. An agent will help you as soon as possible.”

Ear glued to the phone, they bombard you with alternative e-mail and website addresses.

They also do a big sell on other available commodities. If there are so many alternatives, why are the telephone lines clogged?

Ah, I hear you say, because not everybody had e-mail or access to the website. Then, surely, they can increase the number of agents.

I was told by a pensioner-friend that he visited the

Day Hospital for his monthly check-up. He was seen to, but then told to come back the next week for his medicine.

Hello, didn’t they know he was coming? It’s a monthly check-up. The man is 73 years old and has to queue from the early hours to get told that?

And here is the clanger. The Cape Argus reported that Jacob Zuma is ready to take down the whole ANC with him. I say to him: Sir, they went down the day they elected you.

In addition, I question whether the ANC is a legitimate government in anything except numbers. There are 40 million extra citizens who are now enfranchised. This drained existing resources. But that is not at issue.

What is at issue is the assumption that the ANC is the only possible form of government. What about the other voters? Don’t they count also?

I hate categories, but it appears that the ANC demands the vote of all blacks. Then who do whites, coloureds, Indians, Griekwas, Namas, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Rastafarians, gays and the rest of the black-marginalised citizenry look to for their needs?

Wake up and smell the coffee, ANC.

We don’t mind if you, as the government, provided governance – if fair, free and equal.

But at the present rate, and on present showing, you are in for a big surprise.

Watch this space.