Striking workers blocked access to Maluti-a-Phofung Water on Monday. Photo: Tladi Moloi
Dozens of workers at Maluti-a-Phofung Water (MAP Water) in the Free State downed tools on Monday in protest against the municipality’s plan to close the water company.
Employees blocked the entrance to the Phuthaditjhaba office with their cars and went outside, singing songs.
In a 25-page ‘implementation plan’ dated October 7, 2025, the council said the provision of water services would be transferred back to the council. MAP Water’s permanent staff would be transferred to municipal departments and the terms of their contracts would be valid. Lawyers Phambane Mokone Inc had been appointed to lead the process which would be completed by the end of January 2026, the document said.
According to the document, the council had decided that MAP Water had failed to provide water services to the council’s communities and had become a “huge liability”.
“MAP Water is no longer a going concern and the cost of delivering the service through a municipal entity has increased and the quality of service to communities has deteriorated,” the document said.
Bongane Mpofu, one of the affected workers, said workers had not been properly informed of the decision. “No proper channels have been followed. They say some people will be transferred to the municipal building to work from there while others will be retrenched,” he said.
Thomas Mkaza, acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the issues could have been resolved in other ways.
Meanwhile, a worker who preferred to remain anonymous said planned repairs would not be carried out during the strike and no attention would be paid to burst pipes. Some households were already without water on Tuesday.
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By Tladi Moloi
groundup.org.za
