The simmering dispute between eThekwini Municipality and its contracted plumbers has escalated, with plumbers now shutting down operations at another municipal depot after accusing the City of failing to honour promises made to resolve their grievances.
The latest action follows the disruption of operations at the Pinetown Water and Sanitation Depot on Thursday, 20 August, when the plumbers blocked operations in a renewed attempt to force the municipality to address their outstanding concerns.
On Friday, the plumbers said they had extended their action to the Mobeni depot, signalling a widening confrontation over the municipality’s handling of its plumbing contracts.
The plumbers’ latest move comes almost a month after they were called to meetings at Greenwood Park Hall and the Pinetown Civic Centre, where they say they were given assurances that their grievances would be addressed.
According to the contractors, however, little has happened since those engagements.
Their complaints centre on outstanding payments, the municipality’s new procurement and contracting model, and the role of managing contractors in the new system.
The dispute has been brewing for months. In July, about 60 water and sanitation contractors gathered at the Pinetown depot demanding answers over unpaid invoices and the new contracting arrangements. Some contractors claimed they were owed hundreds of thousands of rand, with one contractor telling GroundUp that five outstanding invoices amounted to R250 000.
The municipality has previously confirmed that the dispute stems from its decision to replace the previous plumbing contracting arrangement after it was found not to comply with its supply-chain management policy.
Under the revised model, plumbing subcontractors operate under managing contractors appointed through the city’s Contractor Infrastructure Panel. The municipality has said the managing contractors receive a 15% management fee approved by its Bid Adjudication Committee, while payment rates to subcontractors remain unchanged.
The plumbers, however, have strongly objected to the arrangement, arguing that the new system threatens the viability of their businesses and could leave experienced contractors sidelined.
Some have also raised concerns that they are expected to provide their own vehicles, tools, materials and workers while operating under another company.
The escalating dispute comes at a particularly difficult time for eThekwini’s water network.
The municipality recorded a 65% non-revenue water loss in June, while about 12 000 reported leaks were being dealt with amid the broader plumbing crisis.
The city has warned previously that blocking water depots obstructs municipal employees and risks disrupting essential water services. It has urged disgruntled contractors to use legal and administrative channels to resolve their disputes.
The municipality has also said it is attempting to reduce its reliance on external contractors by recruiting 121 additional plumbers. At the time of its July statement, 44 appointments had been finalised, bringing its internal plumbing complement to about 56.
But with contractors now targeting both Pinetown and Mobeni, pressure is mounting on the city to find a lasting solution before the dispute further affects water and sanitation services across eThekwini.
The plumbers maintain that their latest action is a direct consequence of what they describe as the municipality’s failure to act on commitments made during last month’s meetings.
The standoff leaves residents caught in the middle, as the municipality battles an already serious water-loss problem while the contractors responsible for responding to leaks and other plumbing emergencies remain at loggerheads with the city.
