Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr JP de Villiers and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ngwathe will submit an urgent and detailed request to the Municipal Manager and the Director of Community Services, demanding immediate intervention to halt the decay of the historic Parys Museum.
This building, erected in 1904 and restored in the early 1980s, is a recognised provincial heritage site and forms part of the greater Vredefort Dome World Heritage landscape.
Today, it stands as yet another symbol of how far Ngwathe has collapsed under the ANC-led administration.
Its deterioration weakens the town’s tourism appeal, and deprives residents of a key cultural asset that should strengthen community identity and economic activity.
During a recent oversight, the DA found the museum in a state of near-abandonment with broken and missing windows exposing the interior to rain and vandalism, damaged roofing sheets and rotting timber, structural decay along the foundation line, overgrown grounds, ineffective fencing and open access points, litter, illegal fire remnants and signs of vagrancy, no evidence of municipal maintenance or security.
This level of deterioration does not happen overnight. It is the result of years of zero maintenance, zero planning, and zero accountability. The ANC-led administration has allowed a key cultural and tourism asset to rot in the centre of town.
The Parys Museum has played a crucial role in preserving the history, heritage, and identity of all communities in Ngwathe. Allowing it to fall apart is not only cultural vandalism but also economic sabotage in a town that relies heavily on tourism.
The DA will submit a detailed written request to the Municipal Manager and the Director of Community Services demanding answers on:
- All maintenance done on the Parys Museum during the past five years.
- Budget allocations for repairs, security and staffing during the past three financial years.
- What restoration or stabilisation plans exist, and their timelines.
Heritage sites are irreplaceable. Once they collapse, they are lost forever. Parys deserves better than another landmark left to decay under an administration that does not care.
We will continue pushing for accountability and the restoration of this historic site for the benefit of current and future generations.