Central SA
'MAP municipal employees switch off water and electricity when their salaries are delayed'─── 17:02 Fri, 05 May 2023
Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality residents in the Free State have significant concerns about the disruption of water and electricity supply, mostly during or towards the dates when the municipal employees have to get paid.
It's alleged that the delay of the payment leads the employees to quickly switch off the electricity and disrupt the water supply in any way. This happens mostly when they (employees) are showing their dissatisfaction with their employer who delayed the payments.
Generally, this takes place in Qwaqwa, Harrismith, and Kestell in households and business areas.
It appears like 'the municipal employees fight their battles' by involving the innocent people who are depending on the municipality to get the services.
Residents say the electricity supply is disrupted, for a few days, just after the 20th of each month. This gives the residents an impression that it is caused by the irritation that the employees have when their salaries have been delayed.
David Mokoena, one of the irritated residents told OFM News that involving innocent people in employees' grievances is unacceptable. "We buy electricity but at the same time, we spend almost two weeks in the dark for unnecessary reasons that are even far away from us. We can't keep living like this while we have the rights," he added.
Mokoena says the residents must be served regardless of whether the employee's salaries have been delayed or not. He further mentioned that some wards out of 35 that form the municipality are more targeted than others.
Jacobeth Seleke, who owns a beauty hair salon, accused the municipal employees, those who are working at the water entity, in particular of 'unfairness'. She says the water's unstable supply is man-made. "As the business people who try to make ends, we don't know what is it that the municipality is expecting to see it happen when they shut water," said Seleke.
She talked openly that water is not a problem, but the problem is those people who are responsible to ensure that it is supplied to the residents or businesses.
Municipal Spokesperson, Thabo Kessah, said the strike that involved some employees and the Supply Chain Management last week, affected a lot of services. When the finance department is on strike, numerous departments become affected because the vehicles need diesel and petrol to attend to the places that need urgent attention.
