Ignored my request for information

I worked at CSIR from 1971 to 2006. Then my business unit (National Metrology Institute of South Africa, NMISA) was taken out of CSIR to become a separate Statutory Body and I was for the last two years before my retirement in 2008 an employee of NMISA. However, my membership of the CSIR Funeral Scheme continued and I am paying into it every month to this day. On 8 November this year I sent the person responsible for that scheme at CSIR ********** the following e-mail:

"Dear Mrs. De Villiers,

Maybe you remember me from my time as CSIR and NMISA employee (1971 to 2008). During all these years as employee and also since my retirement in 2008 I have continued my monthly payments into the funeral scheme. Could you please kindly send me some information document on the scheme, so that my family one day knows who to contact and what to do in case of me passing away. I will be 70 next year and, although I am in good health, I like to have everything ready if the inevitable should happen one day.

Since my retirement I have been working as a consultant for various international and national Development Agencies and I am since March last year in Ethiopia, doing similar work.

With best regards from Addis Ababa,

Dr. Franz Hengstberger Senior Advisor - National Quality Infrastructure Ministry of Science and Technology Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Mobile: +251 93 ********** LinkedIn profile: http://za.linkedin.com/in/fhrsa/"

When I had not received a reply or acknowledgement of my enquiry by 21 November, I followed up my first e-mail of 8 November with the following e-mail, which I also copied to the Personnel Manager at NMISA, ********** :

"Dear Mrs de Villiers,

Having been an employee of CSIR from 1971 to 2006, I am disappointed to see how much service standards have deteriorated since then. I would at least have expected an acknowledgement of my mail of 8 November and something to the effect that my enquiry was being dealt with. Apparently that is no longer part of the service.

I would also like to tell you that I will take my enquiry further, it will not just go away if you ignore it. If I do not receive a reply or acknowledgement of it from CSIR this week, I will escalate the query and contact the applicable ombudsman and, if necessary the press about it. The fact that no reply is forthcoming seems suspicious to me. Ignoring it will discourage some people, but it has the opposite effect on me.

Regards,

Dr Franz Hengstberger

CSIR employee 1971 – 2006 NMISA employee 2006 – 2008 Retired since 2008"

At this stage, I still received no reply from CSIR, but the HR Manager of NMISA answered on the same day as follows:

"Dear Dr Hengstberger

I trust you are keeping well.

This serves to acknowledge your query below. We will go through your records and assist where possible, we will also liaise with the CISR where necessary. Please expect feedback from NMISA HR by close of business on, 23 November 2017.

Best Regards"

I am disappointed that even her feedback promised by 23 November has not happened yet. I shudder to think in what predicament my family would be, if I had passed away at the beginning of November and they would receive this "silent" treatment and am wondering whether they do this to everybody with a similar enquiry. Please try to get some reaction from either CSIR or NMISA about this scandalous service.

Best regards, Franz