The Sweet Service Award goes to the City of Cape Town-funded Shark Spotters Programme, for having been awarded the Gold – Innovation Award in the Best for Beach Tourism Category at the African Responsible Tourism Awards in April. The award recognised tourism initiates creating responsible holidays in beach settings. The Shark Spotters Programme has staff sitting high up on the mountain above Muizenberg, checking for sharks with binoculars. A flag warning signal is hoisted at the beach as soon as sharks are spotted, and swimmers and surfers are then encouraged to leave the water. This allows fear-free usage of the Muizenberg beach by locals as well as tourists.
The Sour Service Award goes to the City of Cape Town. After a three-day gale force South Easter, which ripped fronds off the City of Cape Town-owned palm trees on pavements throughout Fresnaye, I contacted the City of Cape Town telephonically, to report the problem and request their urgent collection of the fronds. I received a reference number of 1011075702 on the Monday after the weekend of the storm. I stressed the urgency. As nothing had happened two days later, I Tweeted, and supplied the reference number. On Thursday morning I called again, and was kept waiting for the call centre to find my complaint, as I could not supply the reference number whilst speaking to her. I called again when I could write down the reference number. I was shocked to hear that the call centre person that had taken my complaint on the Monday had only taken the street names but not the suburb, despite having supplied this! Unbelievable is that the City’s Cleansing department is unable to find the location of the two street names, unique to Fresnaye (all street names begin with Avenue). It took 18 days for the fronds to be removed, after almost daily reminders, without action. When I saw the new Facebook page opened by Councillor-elect Shayne Ramsay for our Sea Point/Bantry Bay/Fresnaye ward, I reported the problem on her page, and it was solved within one hour of asking for help! We are so looking forward to having her in our Ward, after the poor and rude service from current incumbent Councillor Jacques Weber!
The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog. Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at whalecot@iafrica.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog.
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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