Not my job

[Dave A]

I get quite irritated at times about the "not my job" malaise I see around me so often. For the most part it's petty stuff really, like:

• Who is supposed to dispose of the old toilet paper roll core when the toilet paper is replace? Or do you just toss it on the floor until someone who has "put used toilet paper roll cores in the rubbish bin" in their job description turns up on the scene.
  
• If you make yourself a cup of coffee in the company kitchen and spill coffee, sugar etc. on the working surface, do you clean it up? Or do you leave it for a cleaner with "wipe down and clean all kitchen working surfaces" to arrive on the scene?

Recently I got quite frothy when someone had spat out their chewing gum in a urinal at the office. And there it sat for a few days until "urinal cleaning duty person" arrived. Maybe that's something slightly different - I was after the one who put the gum there in the first place and expected someone else to clean up for them. But still, it's an unwillingness to go the extra mile, or at times just the extra foot or two.

Well, the culture of "not my job" has finally turned fatal.

Four Metro cops may be in hot water for passing rocks placed on the N1 highway, where a Johannesburg man was ambushed and killed, police said on Wednesday.

"An internal investigation has revealed that two metro police patrol vehicles passed the rocks that were placed on the N1 highway, between the Malibongwe and William Nicol offramps," said Superintendent Wayne Minnaar.

He said the patrol vehicles passed between 1.13am and 1.42am on October 2, when Arren Mahabir, 32, was shot and killed.

Mahabir's car hit the rocks placed by robbers hiding in the nearby bushes around 2.40am.

He was shot and killed as he and his fiancee, Valesh Naidoo, got out to change the burst tyre on their vehicle, after hitting the rocks.
full story from IOL here

[duncan drennan]

So would they be liable for culpable homicide?

[Dave A]

Probably not. Buteven if they were, on current form it wouldn't ever find its way through the full legal process

Got told another one today, also involving Metro police.

We have one of those classic highway-meets-main-road intersections down the road from our offices. The traffic lights were out and it was absolute chaos. A couple of 100 meters up the one on-ramp was a Metro police pair lounging in their car eyeing prospective targets to pull over and fine - and watching the chaos going on at the intersection. Way too much trouble to stroll or drive down there and do a little point duty to help out during rush hour, of course.

[Dave S]

Not My Job?

In the USA theyd've been eating doughnuts at least, while they watched the chaos.

But I can sympathise with you, everyday I run head-to-head with the "not my job" syndrome.

[Marq]

I'd offer an opinion here, but I don't think its my place or my job to do so

[murdock]

marq...thats the spirit

[Dave A]

I'd offer an opinion here, but I don't think its my place or my job to do so

Oh go on - you know you want to

[Marq]

When it comes to roads and intersections, I can tell you who definitely is focused on their 'job' only.

They are known as 'vultures' but I believe the cape vulture trade union is up in wings over this.

I have experienced them a few times and yesterday, one did not let me down on my thoughts as I came to a major intersection on Umgeni Road. An accident had just happened one light change before. The cars occupants were trying to extract themselves from the wreckage when a tow truck pulls up, parks in the middle of the intersection blocking the flow of traffic. This huge lump of an excuse for a being, gets out and 'assesses' the kill. Puts finger in the air to wave at the other motorists, I assume its a token of appreciation of concern and letting us all know that he has the situation under control. He deftly side steps out of the way from one of the drivers as the injured person limps and lurches around the car to view the damage to the cars. What a dilemma for this amoeba - I could see the steam coming from his small head - as he had two vehicles and only one tow truck.

Fortunately no one serious and life was going to carry on - hopefully without the lecher that calls himself useful to society. Can you imagine the cb radio conversation - 'yaa boet....thats a five:four good chommy' - Ja its only 5;4 cause tow truck tosser cannot count to ten.

I did my job which was to aim at him as I went past with the sites that I have on the front of my car. (merc obviously has done their job to try and alleviate the problems on the road). I did not record a hit this time and had I opened my door he had already moved to assess another pile up potential further up the road, so would have missed there.

So here's my opinion that I am not offering as its not my job here. If I was president, all tow truck drivers would:-

• Pass an iq test
• Call an ambulance/fire and police vehicle to the scene before they call their five;four good buddies
• Assess the traffic situation at accident scenes and redirect traffic
• Become points men for traffic light out scenarios
• Put out the necessary cones and danger signs
• Be first aid trained and directed to save lives over cars
• Build nice side of the road places where they would offer info and road advice, while they wait for an accident report.
• Go on diets and grow their hair a bit so they do not look like amoeba bovver boys.
• Learn queens rules for waving hands and fingers at people.
• Realise they are dealing with the public and have regular communication and interaction training.
• Learn to read and identify small writing on car windows giving directions and instructions for towing.
• Learn to drive ordentlik and properly taking other road users into account and not creating further accidents.
• Put normal exhaust systems on their vehicles so not to see who can wake up the neighbours and other good folk or scare them into thinking that a plane had just gone through the sound barrier.
• Draft a 10 page apology to the vultures society for making their names so bad and pay an monthly fee across from salaries to the wildlife organisations as an apology for any other animal they may have upset - pigs come to mind for some reason.

OK - so that's not my opinion today - not being my job and all.

[Marq]

Cops pay tow truck drivers

Of course this doesn't happen and we have no idea how they get to the breakdowns so fast

Just talking about them and now look......

Bring back the death penalty or hung drawn and quartered rules.

Or am I having a bad hair day for moral issues like making money out of other peoples misfortunes?

Obviously this is not my opinion or thought or job today!

[Marq]

More cops not doing their proper jobs in Durban

And here is more on cops and attitudes.

These Durban employees have only learnt from the big boss. Comrade Mikhail continues to threaten and distort his way through managing the city. This week it was the editor and journalist of the Eastern Express a local rag that was not of the same opinion as the politburo bossman. Too much politics and not enough city management. But that's not my opinion either - that's what everybody else down here seems to be saying.

[Dave A]

You're certainly onto something with the towtruck operators. I was reading a story last week reporting that some of these operators have cell phone jammers to prevent people at the scene contacting their insurance to arrange a tow. Of course, this means people can't contact anyone else either, like calls for medical assitance, next of kin...

[wynn]

"Job's worth, job's worth, it's more than my job's worth"

Now where have I heard that 'Fair' refrain before?

[Marq]

Jeremy Taylor that would be
A very fine minstrel with words I decree
Made us laugh through the years
Cry in our beers
No replacement in site to see
What a pity