Through the eyes of a witness

The interaction on the website was phenomenal, all the thanks goes to Eskom for instigating the interaction because the record’s readers are all fed-up with the situation. At least you have a public platform to complaint about the situation.

I also noticed there were some comments about one of the articles about an elderly man who was airlifted to hospital after he was seriously injured in an accident. According to Marais van Heerden, the information the record received was not the facts, and I have to agree with you as well.

We receive our information from either the public or the police and yes, they sometimes do not give us the correct information either. Please allow me to explain. When an accident occurs, metro police and the police arrive at the scene and they have to compile information and an estimation of the events. They speak to witnesses and bystanders to find the underlying cause of the incident.

Their information would be as accurate as the witnesses’ account of the events. After Metro Police investigate the scene and all the information is compiled, a different scenario might have played out. That information is then registered and kept on record in case there are inquiries or the case lands up in court.

Journalists are usually very quickly on the scene as well, we expect, accurate account of what caused the accident, and because the police might also be unsure of the happened, they give an estimated account of the events. This leads to facts sometime being misread or misunderstood.

As journalists, we are not allowed to speak to just anybody, there are specific people in a department who are allowed to speak to the media and unfortunately it has happened that the wrong information are given.

We try to keep our articles as accurate as possible, but we depend on the police for the right information. You, as the public, also have the right to contact us and give us the events as it unfolded, this way we can ensure accurate reporting.

I hope this clarifies the misinterpretation of the event about that specific case. Please continue to respond to our articles and keep us informed about events in the community.