Free State health MEC Viceroy Mahlatsi says organised crime is behind the chronic water shortages at Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital in Phuthaditjhaba. 

Mahlatsi says the criminals include workers employed by  Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality and business people who operate private water tankers in the area. The intention of the sabotage is to secure government contracts to supply water to the 566-bed hospital. 

Mahlatsi says the pipeline taking water to the hospital was sabotaged by an illegal disconnection. 

Last month he led a team of water pipe fitters to Qwaqwa to disconnect illegal connections and connect the hospital to its rightful line. This restored water to the embattled hospital, with the facility having running water since this intervention.  

Ending the sabotage

The MEC says those responsible for the years-long water scarcity at the facility should face the full might of the law. 

“The illegal connections had been done by professional plumbers, no private plumber would have such access without municipal workers. It is clear that whoever did that was having instructions of someone in authority,” he says. 

Mahlatsi says he is working with the Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality and its water provider Map Water to end the sabotage. 

“The hospital line should be running alone. It should never be right that when a community lacks water the hospital also lacks. We were made aware that while this continued for a long time the local Maluti Crescent Mall has water. How can that happen, a hospital lacks water but a mall has it?” 

Mahlatsi says the water shortages lasted for all of these years because ‘municipal workers were giving inaccurate reports to the managers about the water shortages inside the hospital, while some were benefiting from the tender which paid private water truck companies around R35,000 a day.’

Another reason, he says, is that the water provider, Map Water, had been having a management crisis, something which those responsible for the sabotage took advantage of.

“Having tankers delivering water gives whoever is part of the tender money. It is likely that investigations will reveal who is behind the illegal connection at the hospital,” he adds.

Investigation is underway 

Adding to the allegations of sabotage is Map Water Chief Executive Officer, Willie Lefora. He says his company is plagued by acts of sabotage by business people and insubordination by municipal workers. 

“We are faced with many problems with infrastructure. We found our valves were tampered with and illegal connections done. We have managed to deal with the main sabotage that has caused long-term devastation for the vulnerable people and medics at the hospital,” he says. 

Lefora adds that those responsible are being dealt with.

“We are implementing consequence management and about six workers are now suspended, two have been dismissed while four others are appealing decisions taken.”

Water restored

Health-e News can report that water has been restored at Manapo hospital. This has left patients happy.

Emily Setena (39) of Mokodumela in Qwaqwa says the water problems were causing patients to lose hope in the facility.

“I’m glad the problem is over and we have water inside the hospital. It’s not right to fetch water from tankers while you’re a patient,” she says.

Another patient, Tshwanelo Letuka (41), says not being able to get running water at the hospital was “a disaster. It is good that we are now able to get water from taps.” – Health-e News