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

The once popular Mimosa Gardens in Parys stands as a stark symbol of neglect and deterioration in a tourist town already struggling with crippling service delivery challenges.

The Mimosa Gardens, owned by the Ngwathe Local Municipality, was once profitable and a major attraction for the tourist town, famously packed to capacity during long weekends and December holidays.

It offered self-catering chalets, a licensed restaurant, a swimming pool with a slide, a recreation hall, and campsites.

Families flocked to the resort for affordable holidays in Parys’s natural setting, with children entertained by putt-putt, the super tube, paddle boats, and events.

“This holiday resort was the most incredible place to come to. Apart from being loved by the community, it was a real magnet for tourism in the town,” said councilor Brendan Olivier from the DA.

The resort had long been under private management, but the contract was not renewed a decade ago.

Now the municipal holiday resort on the banks of the Vaal River on the Free State border with the North West, is withering away.

Editor of the Parys Gazette, Liezl Scheepers, has documented the decline of the resort for years.

Scheepers wrote that “for years, the Mimosa Gardens has been no more than the sad face of vandalism and shameful neglect.”

“There is nothing left of the once classy restaurant and vibrant resort.”

The decline of the Mimosa Gardens

Johan Bester leased and successfully managed the Mimosa Gardens from the municipality from the 80s to the early 2000s, turning it into a nationally known holiday resort and a source of pride for the town.

Marius Van Rooyen, the brother in law of the late Bester, said that it so popular that it was booked out months in advance, becoming one of the largest employers in Parys.

After Bester’s contract with the municipality ended in the early 2000s, Maruso Mofokeng managed it, until his retirement in 2015.

Now, the resort is rapidly deteriorating and is currently renting out the non-destroyed units as housing to municipal workers.

A big reason for people steering clear of the resort is the long and still ongoing sewage in the stream that runs right through from a buckling wastewater treatment works.

The polluted water goes straight into the Vaal, the location’s main attraction.

While a gem of Parys started to lose its shine some years before, another part of Mimosa Gardens’ decline came during the Covid lockdown, when it had been used to house 22 homeless individuals temporarily.

According to the Parys Gazette, at first, everything went smoothly. But eventually, more and more homeless people occupied the premises, creating a situation beyond control.

Police received reports of drug abuse and prostitution at the site, prompting authorities to decide on a clean-up to address the intolerable situation, with concerns still raised about Mimosa.

The municipality did not respond to requests for comment by time of publication.

Municipal spokesperson, Steve Naale, told the Parys Gazette that “the municipality experienced serious challenges with people accessing Mimosa in high numbers and getting involved in uncontrollable heavy drinking.”

Plans to fix the site

Ngwathe mayor Victoria De Beer-Mthombeni said in her June 2025 budget speech that the “Deputy Minister for Tourism has already commenced with preliminary assessments for the technical work required to be conducted in the upgrading of Mimosa Gardens.”

This is “funded by the revenue we have collected – the same revenue helps us to create jobs… and to develop our infrastructure,” she said.

According to the municipality’s 2025/26 budget, R15 million has been allocated for the upgrading of Mimosa Gardens as part of the town’s tourism infrastructure development.

Listed under the municipality’s “Buildings & Facilities” capital projects, it said that the funding will come from the municipality’s own revenue earmarked for capital expenditure.

The municipality said that the project forms part of broader efforts to revitalise local attractions and support tourism in the area. It is unclear whether the Department of Tourism will be providing funding.

Olivier said that he is not holding his breath for anything substantial. “We have heard so many promises like this before. The municipality is in tatters financially so I am not confident.”

The municipality has received qualified audits for at least the last five financial years from the Auditor General (AG).

The latest AG report shows Ngwathe takes an average of 1,266 days to pay creditors and over 500 days to collect outstanding debt, with 88% of debt unlikely to be recovered.

At year-end, liabilities exceeded assets, and the municipality ran a R75.1 million deficit.

More than half of next year’s budget has already been spent, though the municipality did have funds in the bank.”

It underspent its infrastructure grants by over 10%, and spent just R15.45 million on maintenance, which is 0.9% of the value of property, plant and equipment; far below the National Treasury’s recommended minimum of 8%.

Accumulated unauthorised, irregular, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure continues to rise.

By 31 January 2025, unauthorised spending stood at R586.7 million, irregular expenditure at R392.3 million, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure at R105.6 million.

More images of the sad state of the Mimosa Gardens in Parys