Free State water crisis: Water provision must be prioritised, says WaterCAN

Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality is facing a chronic breakdown in basic water and sanitation services that is endangering public health, undermining dignity, and requiring urgent intervention, says WaterCAN.

WaterCAN said the latest crisis is another chapter in Free State communities’ ongoing fight for water justice, led by local activists who have been raising the alarm for years.

A GroundUp news report notes that residents of Pereng, Qholaqhewe, Mabolela and Mphatlalatsane struggle with an intermittent water supply, while people in Phuthaditjhaba, Clubview, Bluegumbosch and Tshiame complain of sewage spills that are never addressed.

According to Nhlanhla Sibisi, Campaigns Coordinator for WaterCAN, the report reflects a wider pattern, consistent with findings in WaterCAN’s recently published Citizen Science Water Health Report and feedback gathered through WaterCAN’s outreach work in the Free State.

Sibisi said WaterCAN supports affected communities and has reached out to help them identify practical ways to manage the crisis as it escalates. 

“Water is a basic right guaranteed by the Constitution, and access to water should not be hindered by governance failures of municipalities. These failures further undermine the dignity of people and affect the most vulnerable - children, the elderly and women,” said Sibisi.

Free State activist and WaterCAN partner Tabi Moloi said the Maluti-a-Phofung area has experienced water cuts for more than five years. 

“The community is struggling to access drinking water because of poor municipal management and an under-resourced water service provider. The status quo cannot remain, and urgent action is needed,” said Moloi. 

Moloi added that locally based community organisations are working to amplify community voices and raise awareness about the prevailing water crisis.

Sibisi said that while the immediate focus is Maluti-a-Phofung, WaterCAN’s Water Testing Week results from September indicate broader pollution risks in the province. “Communities need reliable service delivery and accountability: where supply is intermittent, residents deserve emergency mitigation - water tankers with published schedules and monitored delivery - and where sewage spills persist, rapid-response teams must be deployed with measurable deadlines,” he said.

Sibisi said water tanks should immediately be deployed as a “temporary reprieve” adding that the water delivery schedules must be made public.

According to Groundup’s report Maluti-a-Phofung is also facing an internal governance crisis. In February 2024, according to media reports the municipality resolved to shut down its wholly owned water entity, MAP Water, after finding it failed to meet legal requirements, including operating for years without a board and leaving tax obligations to the municipality. The former MAP Water CEO, Willie Lefora - who was served with a retrenchment notice earlier this year - claims the municipality underfunded the water authority by about R568–R570 million since 2013.

Sibisi said that while the municipality deals with internal changes, water provision and infrastructure maintenance must not be allowed to collapse. “Communities cannot be expected to pay the price for leadership upheaval. Water is a constitutional right, and service delivery must continue - reliably and safely - every day,” he said.

He added that WaterCAN and its partners will continue to document conditions on the ground, publish evidence-based findings, and press for accountability.

“We will keep testing, keep reporting, and keep demanding consequences where failures persist. Access to safe water is not a favour - it is an obligation,” Sibisi said.