Are openness and transparency principles that the Makhado Municipality puts into practice?

When municipal officials refuse to give their names to customers, quite the opposite impression is created.

A municipal taxpayer, Ms Christa Kock, phoned the municipality in connection with a query that she had about a water and electricity account. When she could not get a satisfactory answer to her query, she asked the official on the other side of the line what her name was. The lady refused to give her name and put Ms Kock through to another official, this time a male. He also flatly refused to give his name.

The customer explained that she needed a name to refer to in case the account was not in order and the electricity (for a whole block of flats, in this case) was cut. He assured her that the account was in order and fully paid, by whom nobody knew. When the customer asked “Who can I say said so?” the reply was “The computer said so”. Ms Kock told the official that she was not implying that he was not telling the truth, she just wanted to have his name to refer to.

Openness and transparency, the sixth of the government’s eight Batho Pele (People First) principles, were apparently not implemented. The implementation of the principles should ensure excellent service delivery. According to a government website, the Batho Pele initiative aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of government services by improving efficiency and accountability to the recipients of public goods and services.

Batho Pele requires that eight service delivery principles be implemented, namely that the local municipality undertake to regularly consult with customers, set service standards, increase access to services, ensure higher levels of courtesy, provide more and better information about services, increase openness and transparency about services, remedy failures and mistakes, and give the best possible value for money.

The constitution says in the chapter on Public Administration, Chapter 10, Section 195.1g, that “transparency must be fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information.”

Vhembe Mayor Mr Sam Moeti expressed himself on the matter of transparency at a meeting convened by the Chairperson’s Association in April last year.

“Good governance, transparency and anti-corruption are principles that government respect. The government’s principle of Batho Pele is sometimes not followed by officials,” Moeti said.

The “no name” matter was taken up with the municipality in letter as well as in a personal visit. Promises were made by the municipality to comment on the allegations, but at the time of going to press, they had yet to respond.