By Sovash Chetty
A water awareness panel was held on Thursday, 14 March on the Rhodes University Campus to bring awareness to the current water crisis. While much was discussed an interesting topic was broached by Ilva Pieterse, senior social media manager for Rhodes University. The rumour of an Evacuation has been circling. The word evacuation brings to mind an adrenaline pumping affair. With feet thumping against the floor as bodies push together in a rush to escape. Friends clawing at each other to get out in a suffocating display of fear. However, the truth is contrastingly different, and we have the rise of fear culture and fake news to thank for that.
There is an evacuation plan. If the water in the taps are to run dry for five consecutive days, the university will be evacuated. It is highly unlikely that the university will get to that point. There are multiple counter measures which includes according to Pieterse, intermittent water stoppage and the joining of the east and west water systems. “I think the word evacuate is a bit dramatic” Pieterse continued when questioned about the fear the students had at being asked to leave early from university. What is more worrying Pieterse added is the permeation of fake news within our society.
Through the ease of access of news through social media, fear mongering is easily achieved. “When I heard about the evacuation, I thought it was happening next week,” said Vanish Gorreba; a first-year student. Rhodes being such a small university, only 8000 students, allows word of mouth gossip to travel fast and cause immense damage. In crisis situations information and transparency are important commodities Pieterse pointed out. Sadly, the press coverage has been negative, and largely inaccurate. Most reporters come from external cities and towns, and don’t have Makhanda’s best interest at heart. They don’t realise the damage they do to our small community. This inaccurate reporting makes Pieterse’s work harder as she has to contend with putting out fires where there should be none and still continue informing the Rhodes population. Even the water quality itself has been misconstrued according to Pieterse.
“The quality of the water is 100 percent drinkable,” Pieterse answered to a chorus of giggles when asked about the tap water. This propagation of unclean tap water has been filtered right from the top. Students don’t drink the tap water because they are told by their House Wardens not to. When asked where this information came from; “Because it always has been that way,” shrugged Matthew Strachan, a Makhanda resident. It is a well-established “fact” within Grahamstown that the tap water is not fit for consumption. This is possibly a rumour taken as the truth.
Fake news and distorted stories are the E-Coli of reporting, traveling fast and multiplying even quicker. In this time of crisis scrutiny over the source of our water and news should be prioritised.
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