By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) marched through the streets of Phuthaditjhaba on Friday, demanding that the planned dissolution of the troubled MAP Water entity be reversed, accusing the Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality of trying to seize control of millions in funding while failing to fix its own governance crisis.
Carrying placards and chanting struggle songs, workers marched from Freedom Square along the busy Mampoi Road to the Maluti-A-Phofung municipal headquarters, where they handed over a memorandum to representatives from the office of the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the office of executive mayor Tumelo Thebe.
The union rejected the municipality’s decision to dissolve MAP Water and absorb it into the municipality, describing the move as irrational, baseless and procedurally flawed.
SAMWU accused the municipality of failing to consult management, workers and the public before taking the decision, while also neglecting to conduct a viability study on the future of the entity.
Provincial SAMWU chairperson Tseko Mokoena said it made no sense for the municipality to dissolve an entity that was once ranked among the top-performing water entities in the country.
“It does not make sense for a municipality that is itself in ICU to take over an entity that provides such an essential service to the people,” said Mokoena.
“We cannot allow this to happen. Council must go back and review this decision.”
Mokoena blamed the municipality for many of the challenges currently facing MAP Water, saying it had failed to honour service-level agreements and neglected to provide the entity with financial support and resources.
In the memorandum, SAMWU demanded urgent intervention to stabilise MAP Water, payment of outstanding financial obligations, SARS compliance, filling of vacant senior management posts, provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and tools of trade for workers.
The union also demanded that MAP Water receive its equitable share directly, that its bank account be restored, and that the municipality repay money allegedly owed to the entity.
Mokoena claimed the municipality owed MAP Water more than R700 million, despite arguing that the entity had become a liability.
He further alleged that the municipality had taken control of MAP Water’s bank account in February 2025 without the consent or knowledge of the entity’s management.
“Why are they in such a rush to collapse this entity? The reason is because of the huge amount of money from National Treasury that they want controlled inside the municipality offices,” he said.
“It is time to stop protecting the leadership of this municipality. Workers are being taken for granted.”
The memorandum was received by Tebogo Motlashuping on behalf of the Minister of COGTA, while a delegation from Mayor Tumelo Thebe’s office also accepted the document.
SAMWU said it expects formal responses to its demands within seven working days.
