ActionSA welcomes the landmark judgment by the Gauteng High Court ordering the dissolution of the Ngwathe Local Municipality. This ruling is long overdue and comes as a necessary intervention to end the municipality’s collapse and restore governance and basic service delivery to its residents.
Since 2023, ActionSA has consistently raised the alarm over the state of dysfunction in Ngwathe, including the municipality’s financial mismanagement, governance failures, and human rights violations related to water and sanitation.
Among the most damning indicators of collapse:
R545 million in unauthorised expenditure recorded in the 2022/23 financial year.
R332 million in irregular expenditure and a further R141 million classified as fruitless and wasteful due to penalties and interest.
An outrageous R68 million in unspent service delivery funds returned to Treasury, while communities suffered.
The theft of computers and printers, jeopardising data integrity and financial reporting systems.
A complete breakdown in administration, with critical posts such as Municipal Manager, CFO, and key directors all vacant.
ActionSA’s efforts to obtain transparency through a PAIA application in December 2023 were ignored by the municipality, further exposing a culture of secrecy and possible corruption in procurement processes, particularly relating to water tanker tenders.
ActionSA also filed criminal charges with the South African Police Service (SAPS), specifically against the Municipal Manager at the time, who, as the accounting officer, bore legal responsibility for the municipality’s financial conduct. Additionally, ActionSA opened a case with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), citing the gross violation of residents’ right to access clean water and basic services.
Oversight inspections by ActionSA revealed shocking conditions:
Communities in Parys and Tumahole have endured up to five years without consistent water supply.
Residents rely on rainwater and unreliable, often dirty water from tankers.
Reservoirs lacked basic security, making infrastructure vulnerable to criminal sabotage.
The Vaal River and local canals are polluted with sewage, while water treatment infrastructure remains neglected.
This court ruling affirms what ActionSA has long said, Ngwathe Municipality is no longer fit for purpose and must be dissolved to protect the public interest.
We will continue to fight for a government that puts people first, one that delivers clean water, functional infrastructure, ethical leadership, and transparency. Our mission is to ensure that public funds are used to serve communities, not enrich the politically connected.
The residents of Ngwathe deserve better, and ActionSA will not rest until they get it.
ActionSA Welcomes Court Judgment to Dissolve Ngwathe Municipality – A Victory for Accountability and Communities
ActionSA welcomes the landmark judgment by the Gauteng High Court ordering the dissolution of the Ngwathe Local Municipality. This ruling is long overdue and comes as a necessary intervention to end the municipality’s collapse and restore governance and basic service delivery to its residents.
Since 2023, ActionSA has consistently raised the alarm over the state of dysfunction in Ngwathe, including the municipality’s financial mismanagement, governance failures, and human rights violations related to water and sanitation.
Among the most damning indicators of collapse:
ActionSA’s efforts to obtain transparency through a PAIA application in December 2023 were ignored by the municipality, further exposing a culture of secrecy and possible corruption in procurement processes, particularly relating to water tanker tenders.
ActionSA also filed criminal charges with the South African Police Service (SAPS), specifically against the Municipal Manager at the time, who, as the accounting officer, bore legal responsibility for the municipality’s financial conduct. Additionally, ActionSA opened a case with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), citing the gross violation of residents’ right to access clean water and basic services.
Oversight inspections by ActionSA revealed shocking conditions:
This court ruling affirms what ActionSA has long said, Ngwathe Municipality is no longer fit for purpose and must be dissolved to protect the public interest.
We will continue to fight for a government that puts people first, one that delivers clean water, functional infrastructure, ethical leadership, and transparency. Our mission is to ensure that public funds are used to serve communities, not enrich the politically connected.
The residents of Ngwathe deserve better, and ActionSA will not rest until they get it.