Water Workers on Strike in Free State

Striking workers blocked the entrance to Maluti-a-Phofung Water on Monday.

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 down the water company.

Workers blocked the entrance to the office in Phuthaditjhaba with their cars and picketed outside, singing songs.

In a 25-page “execution plan” dated 7 October 2025, the municipality said water services delivery would be transferred back to the municipality. Permanent staff of MAP Water would be transferred to municipal departments and the terms of their contracts would be valid. Attorneys Phambane Mokone Inc had been appointed to manage 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 communities of the Municipality 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 stated.

Bongane Mpofu, one of the affected employees, said workers had not been properly informed of the decision. “No proper channels were followed. They are saying some people will be moved to the municipality building to work from there, while others will be retrenched,” he said.

Thomas Mkaza, acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the problems could have been resolved in a different way.

Meanwhile, a worker who preferred to remain anonymous said scheduled repairs would not be conducted during the strike and burst pipes would not be attended to. Some households were already without water on Tuesday.

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