Historic South African town in rapid decline

Communities and businesses across the small Free State town of Wepener are raising the alarm over a sharp decline in basic services.

Residents report collapsing sewage networks, fragile water supply systems, crumbling roads, and mounting refuse, leaving daily life increasingly difficult.

In particular, the sewerage network is collapsing, water supply systems are fragile, road networks are crumbling and refuse is mounting.

Nestled beneath the imposing Jammerberg, or “Mountain of Sorrow” in the Free State’s Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM), Wepener was established in 1867 along the Jammersbergspruit, a tributary of the Caledon River near the Lesotho border.

The town takes its name from Louw Wepener, a Boer commander who fell in 1865 while leading an assault on King Moshoeshoe I’s mountain fortress at Thaba Bosiu during the Free State–Basotho conflict.

Founded as the southernmost of several Free State settlements in the so-called “conquered territories,” Wepener was intended to prevent the Basotho from reclaiming land seized after the 1865 war.

The town received its first management board in 1875.

Wepener again entered the pages of history during the Anglo-Boer War. In April 1900, a British and colonial garrison of 2,000 men under Colonel E. H. Dalgety came under siege at Jammers Drift on the Caledon River.

Boer forces commanded by General Christiaan de Wet held them for 17 days. The standoff ended only when British reinforcements arrived on 25 April, lifting the siege and securing the town.

Home to over 10,000 people, Wepener became part of the MMM during a municipal amalgamation in 2016.

It is widely regarded as a gateway to Lesotho and is thus part of the popular Transgariep Highlands Route.

Service delivery in the town

The Auditor-General’s (AG’s) Sue-Ellen Steenbok noted in her presentation to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) that service delivery mirrors the metro’s financial collapse, with only 45% of planned targets achieved despite spending 111% of the budget.

Specific targets such as road upgrades and household connections to water and sewer services were reported as unmet, leaving untreated effluent to pollute rivers.

A South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report found MMM guilty of multiple constitutional and environmental rights violations, particularly in small towns like Wepener.

According to the report, residents have been exposed to prolonged sewage spills, leading to respiratory illnesses, while school learners face unsafe routes due to flooded or eroded roads.

Waste management remains inadequate, with too few compactor trucks, illegal dumping, and unsafe landfills.

Incomplete sewerage networks, poor workmanship, and vandalism exacerbate the crisis, while rapid population growth and poor urban planning remain unaddressed.

During the SAHRC inquiry, Itumeleng Masobeng, Head of Technical Services, confirmed that 22% of residents still rely on pit latrines, roads require rehabilitation, and the municipality faces billions in debt, high vacancy rates, and persistent governance challenges.

Despite National Treasury support, technical skill retention and economic planning remain weak.

Newsday observed sewage flowing along streets into rivers supplying Rustfontein and Welbedacht dams.

Dr Roy Jankielsohn, DA leader in the Free State, reported that Wepener’s wastewater works have been non-operational for more than five years, polluting fresh water sources

MEC Saki Mokoena stated that partial refurbishment of pump stations and WWTWs is underway, but funding and vandalism limit progress.

Maryke Davies, former speaker of the metro and councillor, said that SAHRC recommendations have yet to translate into visible improvements.

“It has been so many years of them watching us live in sewage like pigs, not humans, pigs,” said Wepener resident Nthati Mokoena. “They have promised us upgrades for years so that it would be a thing of the past, but our children are still walking through it.”

Residents of Wepener say they face chronic water shortages, often going days without supply or receiving only low-pressure water for brief periods.

Despite promises from Mangaung in 2017 to fix the problem with booster pumps, the situation persists, while households continue to be billed for water they seldom receive.

In the MMM’s 80-page 2025 Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan, Wepener is mentioned once. The Wepener – Borehole Refurbishment project has a total adjusted budget of R21.055 million.

However, this is not seen to augment the demand and officials have publicly stated that they will not be refurbishing the boreholes in Wepener, as they are vandalised and the equipment stolen continuously.

They said that until the community can give the municipality assurances that they will guard the infrastructure, the municipality will not incur any expenses on boreholes in the town.

The financial position of the town

The MMM, the Free State’s only metro, is sliding deeper into crisis, with the latest AG’s report exposing financial mismanagement, collapsing service delivery and a culture of impunity.

Despite a budget of R5.24 billion for 2023/24, the municipality overspent, under-delivered, and faces mounting doubts about its ability to survive as a going concern.

Steenbok, who conducted the audit, noted that the outcome for 2023/24 was once again qualified with findings, extending a five-year streak of serious material concerns.

The municipality’s financial statements were materially misstated, even after it spent more than R15 million on consultants. Weak financial governance and oversight remain at the heart of its problems.

Unauthorised expenditure surged to R1.9 billion, up from R1.4 billion the previous year. Irregular expenditure stood at R278 million, while fruitless and wasteful expenditure reached R130 million, mainly from interest on late supplier payments and stalled projects.

The municipality owes Bloem Water close to R1 billion, and 80% of its debt is considered irrecoverable.

Water losses remain at 49%, wiping out nearly R500 million in revenue, while a further R465 million in service charges went unbilled.

With creditors waiting an average of 228 days for payment, Mangaung’s credit rating is stuck at an non-investment grade, signalling high risk.

Seventeen material irregularities were raised, ranging from pollution and fuel losses to overpayments and a cyberattack that left Mangaung unable to bill residents for two months. Only one has been resolved, with the rest either under investigation or ignored.

The administration itself is hollowed out, with a 61% vacancy rate across the municipality and 62% in the technical directorate.

Senior management posts have recently been filled, but instability and weak oversight continue to undermine accountability, noted the AG.

Mangaung has been under national intervention since 2022, and a financial recovery plan approved last year has barely advanced, with less than 30% of its actions implemented.

The AG now classifies the metro as “doing harm”, warning that unless decisive action is taken, residents will continue to bear the brunt of its failures.

In the SCOPA meeting, ANC MP Helen Neale-May criticised worsening financial mismanagement, with rising irregular expenditure and R194 million in conditional grants left unspent, part of which Treasury withheld.

She also pointed out the municipality’s long-standing failure to establish a disciplinary board to probe irregular and wasteful spending, which she said reflects weak oversight and poor governance.

DA Free State COGTA spokesperson David Mc Kay told Newsday that the reason the towns in the municipality are in the state they are in “is a mix of nepotism, cadre deployment and corruption.”

“Infrastructure grants for services are not being used properly, projects for services have turned into cash cows and there are unqualified HODs heading up departments delivering services.”

“You cannot improve if you do not employ competent, honest people,” he said.

Municipal response

The MMM reports in its most recent Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework ongoing financial pressures driven by aging infrastructure and limited reserves.

Budget shortfalls for repairs and maintenance have led to deferred upkeep, threatening future service delivery.

The city relies heavily on conditional grants, which account for over 80% of capital funding, as internal reserves and revenue collections remain insufficient.

High vacancy rates, particularly in middle management, result in acting allowances and overtime, while critical positions remain unfilled.

Revenue challenges include billing inefficiencies, theft, meter bypasses, and illegal connections.

The municipality acknowledges the need for a clearly defined revenue enhancement strategy, including prepaid meters and diversification of income streams.

While a financial recovery plan is in place and monitored through monthly and quarterly FRP War Rooms, implementation remains largely procedural, with structural issues and budget controls still needing action.

In the MTREF, the MMM reports progress in stabilising governance and service delivery, but financial management remains a key challenge.

It said that most financial pressures are internal, though collection issues persist.

The municipality emphasises that it is still in the rescue phase of its Financial Recovery Plan, prioritising the reduction of unauthorised expenditure, improved billing and revenue collection, effective capital spending, and addressing unaccounted-for and non-revenue water.

The municipality maintains that service delivery claims are being addressed, with successful implementation considered critical to meeting community needs.

More images of service delivery collapse in Wepener