The Vaal River is being poisoned

In the Free State’s Ngwathe Local Municipality (NLM), the water crisis goes far beyond dry taps.

Water challenges plague tourist towns, while dysfunctional wastewater treatment plants discharge raw sewage into the Vaal River, polluting one of South Africa’s most vital water sources and putting communities at risk.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has warned that the environmental damage deepens the municipality’s chronic failures in providing reliable access to water and sanitation.

In a November 2024 report on service delivery in the province, they point to a collapse marked by neglect, mismanagement, and undercapacity, which violate residents’ constitutional rights.

NLM, a largely agricultural region bordered by the Vaal River where the Free State meets Gauteng and North West, is home to about 135,000 people.

It encompasses towns like Parys, Vredefort, Heilbron, Koppies, and Edenville, thriving on irrigation-supported farming.

Parys serves as the commercial and tourism hub, while the UNESCO-listed Vredefort Dome and the Vaal River islands drive tourism.

Politically, the African National Congress (ANC) governs, holding 21 of the 37 council seats.

But for years, the municipality’s finances have been in tatters, crippling service delivery and hurting residents and businesses alike.

A municipality in distress

For over five years, Ngwathe has received qualified audits from the Auditor General.

Persistent weaknesses in supply chain management include uncompetitive procurement, poor contract oversight, and auditing limitations.

By January 2025, the municipality’s unauthorised expenditure stood at R586.72 million, irregular expenditure at R392.32 million, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure at R105.63 million.

Infrastructure grants were underspent by more than 10%, and repairs and maintenance amounted to just 0.9% of asset value, far below the National Treasury norm of 8%.

In June, the Bloemfontein High Court, in a case brought by AfriForum, found Ngwathe in breach of its constitutional duties by failing to provide sustainable services, protect residents’ health and safety, and manage finances effectively.

The court ordered the dissolution of the municipal council and instructed the provincial government to intervene.

Ngwathe applied for leave to appeal, but this was dismissed. The municipality has since lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of Appeal, a process that could drag on for years.

Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Mooi River, says the Ngwathe municipality has once again proven that it does not have the residents’ best interests at heart.

“Instead of spending municipal funds on service delivery, they are being used to bail out incompetent municipal officials who are responsible for the various constitutional, legal and administrative shortcomings in the municipal area. 

Damning reports

In November 2024, the SAHRC found Ngwathe continued to violate residents’ right to water and the Water Services Act.

Many areas lack daily water, and in Parys the municipality provides only a fraction of the daily 22ML demand.

Ageing infrastructure, vandalism, and load shedding further limit supply. Tanker and JoJo deliveries remain unreliable, leaving residents uncertain when water will arrive.

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) 2023 No Drop Report scored Ngwathe at 0%, stating: “The WSA is not able to comply with the regulatory requirements.”

The Blue Drop Report, assessing water supply quality, labelled four treatment works, including Parys, as in critical condition.

The Green Drop Report found all five of Ngwathe’s wastewater treatment works in a critical state.

This means that there is consistent discharging of untreated sewage into fresh water sources in violation of the National Water Act, further endangering the community.

The SAHRC noted that refurbishment attempts have stalled as service providers failed to complete projects, while vacancies and a lack of technical skills continue to undermine services.

Speaking to water expert and environmental advisor Dr Anthony Turton recently, he said that “the simple truth is that WWTWs are slowly rendering the country’s drinking water unusable.”

“Without sounding dramatic, South Africa is slowly committing ecocide – national suicide by poisoning its own drinking and crop production water,” said Turton.

Newsday on the ground

Newsday visited Ngwathe in September 2025 to hear and see the experiences of residents and businesses first-hand.

The most pressing issues raised were water quality, unreliable supply, power cuts, and sewage.

“We are a tourist town, but the lack of service delivery is slowly killing us. And we can’t go anywhere cause our property valuations are going down too,” said one longtime Parys resident, Rita van Heerden.

“We have communities that go without water for long periods. For those who get water, it is likely contaminated. Sewage spills into the streets and fresh water sources, yet nobody will ever take the blame,” said DA Ngwathe leader Carina Serfontein.

“Unfortunately, the municipality is being brought to its knees because the leadership is out of touch. They refuse to do consequence management, no matter how much funds are wasted, projects fail and service delivery stalls.”

“This has been raised by the Auditor General for years, but nothing is done.”

Schalk Burger, AfriForum’s Parys branch chair, said municipal management is out of touch:

“It is as if the numerous water leaks, day-long power outages and broken roads are not being noticed. The community is fed up and decisive action is now needed.”

In Parys, one of the first things noticeable was the water: bubbling, yellow-brown, with a lingering smell.

The municipality released a statement during the visit, saying it “appreciates feedback on service delivery hence the technical team was immediately dispatched to flush out the network to improve water quality.”

They added that poor quality was due to empty distribution channels after the purification plant stopped during an electricity interruption.

The Parys plant remains under refurbishment and can produce only 10 megalitres per day against a demand of 22. Supply is rotated between areas, leaving some without water for days.

The municipality has also reported sabotage, saying individuals tampered with outside valves.

Sewage in the Vaal

Untreated sewage flowing into the Vaal River is among the gravest threats.

At the Parys Sewage Purification Works, officials denied spillages and insisted the system could meet demand, saying an application had been lodged to upgrade the facility.

Yet Newsday saw otherwise. The Schonkenville pump still showed signs of spillage, and on 3 September sewage was visibly flowing into the river at the Sandgat manhole, near areas where residents fish and once swam.

Springs around Parys also showed contamination, particularly the one from the industrial area to the Potchefstroom crossing bridge, where it enters the Vaal at Mimosa Gardens.

The spring carried a foul smell and green stains in the water, a serious risk to residents and downstream communities.

Councillor JP de Villiers said that he has now escalated the matter to the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, “as this is no longer a local concern; it poses a wider environmental and public health risk.”

“Despite my formal written request for an urgent update and clear timelines for resolving these spillages, the municipality has never responded,” said de Villiers.

The Tumahole pump station did show signs of recent maintenance, but the municipality often blames blockages on vandalism and sabotage.

Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s Mooi River district coordinator, said that “there is a reluctance among municipal officials to properly resolve the problems.”

“To top it all off, any expert is now denied access to the water treatment works. Even council members are not allowed to enter.”

We saw councilors being barred from treatment works, despite their legal right to conduct oversight visits.

Many AfriForum tests have confirmed Parys’ drinking water as unsafe. While government has denied the unsafe claims, the quality from broken filters, missing chemicals, and power issues suggest significant challenges.

Residents are urged to boil water, while AfriForum calls for immediate intervention to restore safe drinking water.

Municipality’s response

The Acting Municipal Manager, Teboho Manele, told the SAHRC that Ngwathe had been without senior managers for two years.

He admitted serious gaps in the Project Management Unit and promised reports on stalled projects, stressing the urgent need for a qualified technical director.

Refurbishment of the Parys Water Treatment Works was flagged as critical, with completion expected by May 2024, though delays had forced subcontracting. This has still not been completed.

A Municipal Infrastructure Grant was secured to buy generators, while COGTA planned interim upgrades to pumps and clarifiers.

The panel pressed for timelines on clean water access, reports on sabotage, and clarity on Rand Water’s flow controls.

The municipality said it had engaged Rand Water with DWS intervention, but said that technical expertise and provincial support were essential to resolving challenges.

In recent statements, Mayor Victoria De Beer-Mthombeni said that the municipality has “an intensified forcus on delivering services to the people.”

She said that they have strengthened sewage treatment with chlorine and sodium hypochlorite, appointed service providers for risk management, and responds rapidly to spillages.

“It has been reported that most of the spillages around the river were caused by fishermen and residents throwing foreign objects in the system,” she claimed.

“Ngwathe Local Municipality assures its residents that the protection and sustainable use of water resources remain top priorities.”

Speaking at the state of the municipality address, she said that the 2025/26 budget prioritises water and sanitation, with supply restored to previously unserved areas like B Location, Zone 6 Top, Mandela, and Tokoloho, with plans to extend access further.

Projects include the refurbishment of the old Parys Water Treatment Works and new pipelines in Phiritona, Heilbron, and Edenville.

Ngwathe is one of two municipalities with approved Blue and Green Drop Corrective Action Plans, with more than R200 million allocated to water and sanitation.

A municipal manager has been appointed and vacant senior posts filled, officials said.

However, the municipality did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Newsday. Its contact lines have also been disconnected.

However, it has threatened court action against critics, saying it “will continue to take legal measures against anyone who produces and distributes misleading information about the municipality.”

One of the Free State’s most popular tourist spots is now in tatters

Other images of service delivery woes in municipality