People are really nice. Perhaps not the Joburg city council who don't seem to know how to answer a phone, but everyone else. Contacts that I am tracking down through Google, regarding my Jukskei articles, are returning my emails within an hour or two.
Now if you have worked for Vuvuzela Wits student paper and had to deal with Wits Admin that will not speak to us; and the Wits SRC that takes days to prepare a media statement over some minor issue; and the political groups on Campus that rudely refer to me as Vuvuzela ( I actually do have a name), then working on the Jukskei project is amazing.
People actually cooperate and give me information- I am blown away.
Today I got this call from man who thought I was a black male called Kagiso- although I think that is a township and I heard him wrong. Anyway I wasn't a black male with a name that sounded like a township, but when the lovely man on the phone was about to hang up he realised he had meant to phone me, but just not at the time he did. It was David Lindley who works for Mondi wetlands and knows about the Edenvale/Linksfield grasslands that I am writing about. So since he accidentally had me on the other end of the line he answered my questions. I only emailed him yesterday at an address I found through googling his name and the word "email". It worked.
Yaaay for speedy responses!
There are more nice people in the world- So I phoned an advocate, who is also a labour broker and is friend of my aunt and uncle, but he couldn't help at the time. A few days later he phoned my aunt and uncle and apologised and told them I should send him an email. Wow!
Wits admin especially SDLU staff ( I won't mention your names but we at Vuvu know who are are) take note!
Compare an apology with say dealing with Wits' Campus Control head's secretary at Wits. Let just say I don't think she knows what the word smile means or what such a thing looks like. ( will I get sued for saying that?)
Wow - I am blown away at being treated with repsect and help. This other lady, PA to the head of the Bruma Lake Owners Association, is taking time out of her Friday to meet with me to look through a few years worth of meeting minutes about Bruma Lake Clean ups just cause I asked.
She doesn't even know me.
And Andrew, the guy who agreed to drink out the river, or as my blog title puts it- sewer- got back to me too. He is going to let us film him using some water purifier to drink from the Jukskei. Now that is product loyalty! Others may call it stupidity.
Yaaaay for nice people and happy blog posts. ;-)
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