Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Carina Serfontein and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Joseph Mbele. See attached picture here.
The DA in Ngwathe notes the attention given to Ngwathe Local Municipality’s reported 86% Water Services Development Plan (WSDP) compliance score, reportedly the highest in South Africa.
But an 86% WSDP compliance score is not an 86% water-quality score, nor does it prove that 86% of Ngwathe’s water infrastructure is functioning effectively.
The DA will therefore request:
- The full WSDP audit, scoring methodology and latest water-quality results.
- The physical and operational status of every major water project, not merely expenditure figures.
- Full disclosure of current bulk-water debt and the status of the approximately R42 million outstanding supplier account.
Ngwathe’s own IDP acknowledges that only 53.6% of households have water inside their dwellings, highlighting the gap between compliance on paper and access experienced by residents.
The municipality’s MFMA Circular 124 Municipal Compliance Self-Assessment further recorded that, by March 2026, service-charge receipts stood at R133.9 million against a year-to-date budget of R349.1 million – a R215.2 million shortfall. Its full-year forecast reflected a negative cash position of approximately R694.2 million, while approximately R29.3 million was outstanding to the bulk-water provider.
These are Ngwathe’s own figures.
In Koppies, residents still do not have reliable 24/7 water and are currently subjected to Saturday water shedding, with areas including Extension 5 experiencing ongoing supply challenges.
Yet approximately R8.1 million of the adjusted R10 million budget – 81% – has been spent on the Koppies–Edenville pipeline, with Edenville expected to depend on the Koppies system. If Koppies cannot reliably supply itself, how will it sustainably supply Edenville? A pipeline cannot create water.
In Parys, one WTW refurbishment project, with an adjusted budget of approximately R2.76 million, recorded 0% expenditure, while another Parys WTW project had an adjusted budget of approximately R39.22 million, with R25.13 million spent.
In Vredefort, approximately R9.95 million of R12.59 million – 79% – had been spent on the WTW upgrade, including a 4 ML reservoir scheduled for completion by 31 October 2026.
Municipal records also show the Kwakwatsi bulk-water supply line at 0% expenditure, the Heilbron sewer-line project at 33%, and the Heilbron pipeline and elevated tower at 96%.
There is further serious concern over an approximately R42 million outstanding account to a service provider involved in keeping essential water operations going in Mokwallo and Tumahole.
The DA does not dispute that a WSDP compliance score was awarded. We question whether that headline reflects what residents actually experience.
Money spent does not necessarily mean infrastructure is complete or operational, and a planning-compliance score cannot fill an empty tap.
The real audit does not happen on paper. It happens at the tap.
Ngwathe residents deserve safe, reliable water and measurable results, not percentages on paper.