Small municipality with a popular tourist town hit with water problems due to R40 million payment dispute
A R40 million payment dispute between Ngwathe Local Municipality and Basieng Construction threatens the water supply to residents.
The Ngwathe Local Municipality is located in the northern part of Fezile Dabi District Municipality in the Free State.
The major towns within Ngwathe Local Municipality’s area of jurisdiction include Parys, Vredefort, Heilbron, Koppies and Edenville.
These towns are popular tourist destinations due to their location along the Vaal River and close to the Vredefort Dome.
The Vaal River forms the northern boundary of the area, which also serves as the boundary between the Free State, Gauteng, and North West Province.
The Renoster River also flows through the region and is impounded near Koppies by a series of dams, namely Weltevrede, Rooipoort, and Koppies.
The rivers, together with their respective dams, are major water sources for agriculture in the region.
A prominent topographical feature in the Ngwathe Local Municipality is the Vredefort Dome.
The dome consists of a central granite cone surrounded by concentric quartzite ridges belonging to the Witwatersrand System.
Statistics South Africa estimated the municipal area’s population at 134,962, with the ANC receiving the most support among residents.
The ANC has 21 seats in the municipal council, followed by the DA with 7, the EFF with 5, the Freedom Front Plus with 3, and the Ngwathe Residents Association with 1.
The Ngwathe Local Municipality has been a focal point of the collapse of public administration in South Africa.
The municipality’s systemic breakdown culminated in landmark High Court orders placing it under provincial intervention and dissolving its municipal council.
Water problems in the Ngwathe Local Municipality
Many towns in the Ngwathe Local Municipality have suffered chronic water supply interruptions, with residents facing polluted or no water.
Water treatment facilities have lacked proper maintenance, forcing residents to rely on erratic water tankers and rainwater.
Tests have repeatedly highlighted risks of contamination and faecal pollutants in municipal drinking water supplies.
In the latest debacle, a R40 million payment dispute between Ngwathe Local Municipality and Basieng Construction further threatens the water supply.
Carina Serfontein, the DA’s mayoral candidate for the Ngwathe Local Municipality, is pushing for urgent intervention to resolve the problem.
She explained that Basieng Construction developed 38 boreholes to provide water to communities in Ngwathe.
However, a dispute over R40 million in outstanding payments has led to reports that boreholes have been shut down.
She added that media reports alleged that the former mayor and her husband demanded millions of rand in payments linked to municipal contracts.
These payments, she said, included a R14 million demand relating to the settlement of Basieng Construction’s outstanding account.
She said the allegations require an independent criminal investigation and that the DA has sought intervention to resolve this crisis.
On Monday, 12 October 2026, the DA engaged Advocate Tsupa from the provincial intervention team, who undertook to provide feedback within 48 hours.
“Despite this commitment, the DA received no feedback within the promised period,” said Serfontein.
The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation also instructed the municipality to resolve the dispute within three weeks. A final resolution has yet to be confirmed.
The DA will now write to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to urgently intervene in the ongoing R40 million dispute.
It wants the SAHRC to conduct an on-site assessment and intervene to protect the constitutional rights of affected residents.
“We request that the Commission investigate the impact of the borehole shutdowns,” Serfontein said.
“They should also engage the responsible authorities and demand an immediate, sustainable solution to restore and safeguard water access.”
“Residents cannot be held hostage by corruption, financial mismanagement, and unresolved municipal disputes while their right to water is at stake.”
Borehole photos
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If one pays for something and it is not delivered then one has the right to charge the responsible entity with theft and or fraud, surely the same rules apply to municipalities if they don’t deliver the services that ratepayers pay for, then the mayors, councilors and managers of these municipalities can and must be charged with theft and or fraud. Because they are taking money for services and not delivering.
But in SA they don’t have any sense of responsibility or pride, no accountability and most definitely no consequences what so ever.
Yet they want and expect their salary increases, yearly bonuses and new cars and you don’t give them that, they strike and dance, burn and destroy the infrastructure, just like spoilt petulant children.
As Nelson Mandela said ” if the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did, then you MUST do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government”, and Oliver Tambo said”I fear a corrupt and useless ANC more than I fear the apartheid government”. But the masses will continue to vote for the useless, inept, incompetent and corrupt ANC and expect to have a different outcome.
The 90s banned bumper sticker said it best “DONT STEAL THE ANC GOVERNMENT HATES COMPETITION”.