Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

A plan on paper does not mean clean water in residents’ taps – AfriForum demands proof of Ngwathe Municipality’s 86% claim

Soundbite: Alta Pretorius (English)

Soundbite: Alta Pretorius (Afrikaans)

AfriForum is urging the Ngwathe Local Municipality to release documentation substantiating its claims that it achieved an 86% compliance score for its Water Services Development Plan (WSDP). According to a media statement issued by the municipality earlier today (4 September), this compliance score made it the top performer in the country. However, AfriForum maintains that these claims and the score do not reflect the reality regarding water quality and the reliability of water supply within the municipality.

The organisation has therefore requested the municipality to provide information regarding the WSDP by next Friday (11 September). AfriForum is demanding information on the assessed WSDP; the date the WSDP was finalised and adopted; the full audit or assessment report containing the compliance score; the methodology, scorecard, and criteria used to calculate the score; and the council resolution or other formal record through which the WSDP was adopted.

The municipality must also clarify whether the 86% figure relates merely to planning and reporting, or whether it measures actual implementation and compliance with statutory water and sanitation standards.

AfriForum warns that a high score for a planning document does not necessarily mean that residents receive clean water, that the water supply is reliable, that infrastructure is functional, or that planned projects are being executed.

According to Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Mooi River, a plan on paper is not the same as clean water flowing from residents’ taps. “The municipality’s history of prolonged water outages, contaminated drinking water, and inadequate infrastructure clearly demonstrates that there can be a vast difference between planning and implementation,” she emphasises.

AfriForum’s doubts regarding the reliability of the municipality’s announcement are reinforced by the municipality’s own final revised Integrated Development Plan for 2026/2027. According to AfriForum’s analysis, this document, published in June of this year, indicates that the WSDP was not yet ready and remained in draft form.

Furthermore, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that certain areas within the Ngwathe Municipality do not receive water every day. In Parys, according to this finding, the municipality could supply only about 6 megalitres of water per day, against a daily requirement of between 18 and 22 megalitres. Municipal water supply via water tankers and JoJo tanks was also irregular and unreliable.

AfriForum’s independent laboratory tests have repeatedly shown the presence of faecal coliform bacteria in Parys’s tap water. The water did not meet the national standard for drinking water and was unfit for human consumption. Moreover, in recent weeks, residents of all the towns falling under this municipality have continued to suffer from water outages and concerns regarding water quality.

“The municipality cannot use a compliance percentage to mask the true state of affairs in Parys and other Ngwathe towns. Residents do not judge service delivery based on colourful plans and percentages, but on the water that actually flows – or fails to flow – from their taps,” says Pretorius.

Schalk Burger, Chairperson of AfriForum’s Parys branch, says AfriForum would welcome any genuine improvement but warns that public claims must be transparent, verifiable, and placed in the proper context. “Until the necessary documents are released and the plan’s results are visible in practice, self-congratulation is premature. Residents certainly cannot give an 86% rating to what comes out of their taps – that is, assuming anything comes out at all.”

Burger has invited Dr F.P. Mothamaha, the Municipal Manager, to drink a glass of water from a tap in Parys and personally test the quality of the water in the municipality.

AfriForum calls on the community to stay involved, report wrongdoing, and work together to hold local government accountable. Contact Burger (082 653 4281) to get involved with AfriForum’s Parys branch.