Sedibeng Water strike could leave 2-million customers dry

Workers at bulk water supplier Sedibeng Water have downed tools after being told they will not be paid their October salaries on time after municipalities in three provinces failed to pay for services.

Sedibeng Water, which is based in Bothaville in the Free State, supplies municipalities and mines in the Northern Cape, the Free State and the North West, making it one of the largest water utilities in the country in terms of the geographical area it serves.

In its 2019/2020 annual report, Sedibeng Water estimated that more than 2-million consumers benefited from its water supply during the period under review.

The stoppage could affect water supply there and hit the ANC in the November municipal elections.

Water provision is a key election issue, with opposition political parties criticising the ANC’s poor track record.

Local government has been dogged by poor services, corruption, maladministration and malfeasance for decades.

In 2019/2020 only 27 of SA’s 278 municipalities received clean audits, with fruitless and wasteful expenditure at R3.47bn and irregular expenditure at R26bn.

On Wednesday, Papikie Mohale, national spokesperson of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), which represents about 160,000 of the 290,000 municipal workers, said the stoppage at Sedibeng Water would continue until workers were paid.

SALARY INCREASES

“This notification of late payment of salaries comes after the [entity] had earlier this month written to workers informing them that it will not be paying their salary increases as per the recently concluded salary and wage agreement in the Amanzi Bargaining Council (ABC), which Sedibeng Water is party to,” Samwu deputy general secretary Dumisane Magagula said in a statement.

In September, parties at the bargaining council agreed to a one-year, 5.5% pay rise, a R3,000 housing allowance and five months’ paid maternity leave. But the Treasury said municipalities and water boards could apply for an exemption from the agreement after former finance minister Tito Mboweni announced huge cuts in the public sector wage bill over the next three years in an effort to rein in government spending and debt.

Magagula said that Samwu was “convinced that Sedibeng Water is deliberately creating confusion and panic among workers as justification for their intention not to honour the salary and wage collective agreement”.

“We therefore support the course of action that has been taken by workers at Sedibeng Water in the three provinces to stop working until their salaries are paid along with the increases as agreed at the bargaining council.”

Sedibeng Water official Moila Mofokeng could not be reached immediately for comment.