When spokesmen are afraid to speak, assume the worst

29 September 2014 - 09:57 By The Times Editorial
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There was a bit of "same old, same old" when Rand Water's worst-ever crisis broke two weeks ago.

The cellphones of spokesmen were switched off, SMSes and e-mails went unanswered. The only information to be gleaned from the Joburg Water hotline was a list of the suburbs affected and the tweets of irate residents.

There was nothing unusual about this lack of communication. Government spokesmen are notoriously difficult to get hold of - ask any journalist.

No clear reasons were given for the interruption to the water supply or when it would be sorted out.

It got so bad that the Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, had to step in on Thursday and tell Rand Water to communicate better.

"Remember, as a board, you have a responsibility to the communities you serve," Mokonyane is reported to have told Rand Water's directors.

A media blackout just makes rumours proliferate.

Why do spokesmen at all levels of government so consistently fail to do their jobs, as again, with such complacent arrogance, in recent weeks? Maybe they just get tired of annoying journalists, or perhaps they really don't grasp the importance to their customers of the latest deprivation of service.

It could be that there is a more sinister reason. By not commenting they are enforcing a media blackout and so don't have to defend the indefensible on behalf of their employers.

There has, however, been a recent government communications success story.

The inter-ministerial team formed to deal with the church building collapse in Nigeria appears to be functioning. Minister Jeff Radebe briefs the media daily. His appearances are a little reminiscent of Franklin D Roosevelt's fire-side chats of the 1930s, when the president went on air weekly to reassure the American public that his administration was doing everything it could to end the depression.

Now we need other government departments to open up, too, and, for a start, begin answering their phones.

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