Editor’s woe widely felt

DAILY Dispatch editor Sibusiso Ngalwa’s recent close and personal experience with Buffalo City’s service delivery woes (“Still in dark about BCM’s power cut” DD, August 22) would be quaint if something similar was not frequently visited upon our metro’s long suffering residents.

Just recently, I assisted a ratepayer whose elderly mother’s last 12 month’s indigent discounts, over 50 of them, had been inexplicably reversed resulting in an unexpected amount owing of more than R6 000.

While small compared to some of the billing discrepancies which have come to light, it would have hit an octogenarian hard if not corrected.

In my own case, I recently queried the amount charged for water usage, only to be told that there was a logic flaw in the billing system, which was subsequently rectified.

Arguably more amusing was to receive the following SMS from the municipality, “BCMM Alert – your account xxxxxxxx for R0 is overdue – to avoid suspension of service please attend to payment immediately”.

Perhaps, as he seeks an explanation as to why his electricity was cut, Ngalwa failed to pay heed to such a message. In light of his experience, Ngalwa not surprisingly refers to the recent Ipsos poll which gave BCM a dismal 13% approval rating for service delivery. Looked at differently, this is really an overwhelming 87% disapproval rating.

In any other polity, a party receiving that low level of adulation would be desperately looking for somewhere to hide, even preparing to relinquish office. Regrettably, the present ANC powers-thatbe still have almost four years until the 2021 local government elections to wreak further havoc on Buffalo City. It is a pity the DA must wait until then to be able to rectify the many ills visited on Buffalo City by an uncaring and incompetent ANC government. — Bill Gould, DA councillor, Southernwood