Thread by @gateteviews

This attitude, this statement are wrong at so many levels. Whoever said this, thinks like this and acts like this does not deserve to be paid with my taxes.

It’s a #Thread!
But first: a manager who thinks clients are stupid is the one who is stupid!

@wasac_rwanda, @RURA_RWANDA

https://twitter.com/rbarwanda/status/1127986393202987009

The message is simple: the problem isn’t that we are abusing you, you just didn’t put enough Vaseline.

@RURA_RWANDA @wasac_rwanda @RwandaInfra

The city of Paris is burning because of leaders like these who look down on the citizens.

When you have monopoly, you can’t expect excellence. If there is a mindset issue, it is within these underperforming institutions. Someone needs to kick their arses.

I am not so much bummed out by the water price hike - the main issue - I am extra-infuriated by this arrogant attitude of people who get paid by us, do a crappy job and blame us for it.

This is arrogance of the highest order.
They are literally pissing on us and calling it rain.

They are paid to deliver water to our households. Byarabananiye.

If they want to diagnose our IQs and state of mind, they should resign from @RURA_RWANDA @wasac_rwanda and open churches or NGOs.

This is unacceptable!

And now on the price hike: The consumers need to be consulted, petitioned

@RURA_RWANDA was meant to protect the public against exploitation of private monopolies and mafias. Nabyo byarabananiye. Now it can’t even protect us from our own institutions.

To them we are too stupid.

Now in Law: Water is a Source of Life!

In the famous #Mazibuko v. The City of Johannesburg case the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled in favor of Mrs Lindiwe Mazibuko, a Jo-burg township dweller.

@RwandaJudiciary @RwandaOmbudsman

Mrs Mazibuko wasn’t very educated-the kind of lady @RURA_RWANDA & @wasac_rwanda would’ve dismissed as mindset deficient

Yet the highest court of the land found in her favor.

‘Cultures in all parts of the world acknowledge the importance of water. Water is life’, the court began

....’Without it, nothing organic grows. Human beings need water to drink, to cook, to wash and to grow our food. Without it, we will die. It is not surprising then that our Constitution entrenches the right of access to water...’

...’While piped water is plentifully available to mines, industries, some large farms and wealthy families, millions of people, especially women, spend hours laboriously collecting their daily supply of water from streams, pools and distant taps...’

Yet, despite the significant improvement in the first fifteen years of democratic government, [that was ten years ago], deep inequality remains and for many the task of obtaining sufficient water for their families remains a tiring daily burden.’..

‘the achievement of equality, one of the founding values of our Constitution, will not be accomplished while water is abundantly available to the wealthy, but not to the poor’

I thought to extensively quote this judgement of the South African Constitutional Court, because the recent history of South Africa isn’t much different from that of RWANDA.

Challenges faced by citizens are similar, and apparently so is the arrogance of some leaders...

On the Judgement:

The applicants were five residents of Phiri in Soweto. They are poor people living in separate households. The first applicant, Mrs Lindiwe Mazibuko, who has sadly passed away since the litigation commenced.. there were four other households on the stand.

To cut the long story short, The Constitutional Court of South Africa upheld a City Council’s policy to supply FREE basic water: 6 kilolitres of water per month to every accountholder in the city (the Free Basic Water policy).

The argument for the judgement was that since water is the source of life, and that the Constitution guarantees the right to life:

Every citizen should have the right to the water that is necessary for their survival, without having to pay the state!

Now I brought this judgement to explain to @RURA_RWANDA and @wasac_rwanda that are water provider and utility regulators they should be aware of these land mark judgements.

But I haven’t gone as far as calling them ‘intellectually challenged’ like they did us.

I could sue them.

I could sue them for Agasuzuguro, ukwishongora, ubwirasi kubaturage, etc. But those aren’t crimes in the penal code.

However, they have sinned for lack of accountability, and poor performance. Which are serious professional misconduct

@RwandaInfra @RwandaJudiciary @GovernanceRw

Two points to conclude:

- it is not proper of public servants to justify their performance shortcomings by shifting the blame on the people they are meant to serve!

- it is not proper of utilities to recoup their losses - caused by poor management - by squeezing the public.