Golf balls and and garden hoses

As community journalists we are often called upon to report on or expose wrongdoings or events within the community. This can, of course, be either a good or bad thing.

We get to see and deal with a lot of situations and behind-the-scene experiences most people never get to experience and we are also expected to assist in solving all kinds social, moral and, dare I say it, municipal challenges.

The three most common challenges facing our community, and I believe this is the same for most communities in the country, are water, sewerage and electricity supply issues.

Almost daily, the calls come in from frustrated residents complaining about some or other issue not adequately dealt with by the municipal authorities and in many cases not dealt with at all.

Much to the amusement of fellow journalists, we are in some cases even told in no uncertain terms to “do something about it!”

The first plan of action for any municipal complaint is of course for the complainant to contact the relevant municipal department directly and obtain or insist on a reference number which is supposed to be recorded against a particular complaint.

Often this is not done and the newspaper is called from the outset. In other cases, complaints are simply ignored by the authorities, whether there are reference numbers or not.

Sewage flowing out of blocked manholes, fresh water gushing from burst pipes and electrical substations exploding or tripping out are all as a result of overloaded systems.

This we all know. The existing infrastructure simply cannot cope with the demand on it.
As one gentleman so eloquently put it: “It’s like attempting to blow a golf ball through a hose pipe!”

The question is, however, how was this allowed to happen? Sewerage pipes, water pipes and electricity cables were all designed to carry a certain volume, capacity or load.

Even with foresight and allowing for future expansion when the networks were laid out, no one could foresee the seemingly uncontrolled “anything goes” building frenzy going on in our town.

With the expansion of Ermelo and the mushrooming of flatlets, town houses, guest houses and overnight accommodation facilities in recent years, someone somewhere has slipped up and many eyebrows are raised in anticipation of an explanation.

The extra burden placed on the system by allowing 30 or 40 flats or accommodation units to be erected on residential properties, coupled with the demand placed on it by hundreds of property owners is a recipe for a disaster.

But questions need to be asked. Who was responsible for allowing a free-for-all building spree?

Were inspections done on proposed building sites and were legitimate plans submitted to the relevant municipal departments in all cases and, if so, who approved such plans and why?

Could the people in charge not see that it is impossible to blow a golf ball through a garden hose?

I don’t see anyone willing to put his or her lips to the hosepipe in order to attempt this feat either. The hosepipe is probably full of sewage.

Will these questions remain unanswered and the eyebrows permanently raised?