Residents of Greyton and Genadendal have been told to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking it, after bacteria were identified in the municipal water supply by the Overberg District Municipality.
The boil-water notice, issued by Theewaterskloof Municipality (TWK) on Friday 11 September, has ignited long-simmering fury in a community that says it has been raising the alarm about water quality for months, only to be met with evasion and silence.
The notice
The official boil-water notice, issued by Theewaterskloof (TWK) reads: “Due to recent bacteria identified in the water by Overberg District Municipality, Theewaterskloof Municipality is advising residents of Greyton and Genadendal to only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution as water isn’t currently fit for human consumption.”
Residents are instructed to boil all water for one minute at a rolling boil, let it cool before drinking, and use boiled or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice. The notice adds: “In the spirit of transparency and responsible service delivery the municipality took immediate corrective measures to stabilise the water quality.”
For many residents, that word – “transparency” – landed like a slap. Residents of Greyton have been pursuing water-testing reports from the municipality for months, amid a growing list of complaints that go well beyond aesthetics. Some residents have reported serious medical issues they believe are linked to the water supply. Repeated requests for testing data and transparency were met with what residents describe as persistent stonewalling.
At the centre of that evasion residents say was the Theewaterskloof Director of Community Services, Wilfred Solomons-Johannes. Appointed to the position in January 2022, Solomons-Johannes has been a controversial figure in the municipality. He previously served as Acting Municipal Manager from April 2023, was permanently appointed to the role in August 2023, and then stood down in June 2024 after the High Court found his appointment to be illegal. He was suspended in April 2025 during an investigation into missing disaster relief funds of R41 million related to the September 2023 floods, before being reinstated in October 2025.
Now he has been suspended again. On Wednesday 9 September 2026 — just two days before the boil water notice was issued — Solomons-Johannes was suspended during a confidential in-committee special council meeting. Official reports indicate the suspension followed allegations that he used a racial slur against Director Paul Mabhena and referred to him as a “boy”. An independent investigator had previously found grounds for disciplinary proceedings regarding those allegations.
But in the community a different narrative has taken hold. A message posted on a Greyton community WhatsApp group stated that “a Director” had been suspended over water-quality issues and a lack of transparency. For residents who had spent months trying to get straight answers about their water, the connection seemed obvious, even if the official record tells a different story.
The municipality has declined to provide further details, citing the confidential nature of the council proceedings.
The water debacle in Greyton and Genadendal is unfolding against a backdrop of extraordinary institutional dysfunction at Theewaterskloof. The municipality has been described as being in “free fall,” with senior leadership consumed by disciplinary disputes, court appearances and mutual allegations of misconduct.
On 21 August President Cyril Ramaphosa signed Proclamation 339 of 2026, authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of serious maladministration, corruption and irregular expenditure within the municipality, covering conduct between October 2022 and August. The investigation specifically includes the procurement of 14 back-up generators for boreholes and pump stations.
Water quality: A long-running problem
The boil water notice may have come as a shock to some, but for those who have followed the data, it was a confirmation of what they already suspected.
Reports from 2025 indicated that several towns within Theewaterskloof, including Greyton and Genadendal, had experienced failures in meeting microbiological standards for drinking water. The Department of Water and Sanitation’s Integrated Regulatory Information System (Iris) recorded levels of faecal bacteria exceeding permissible limits in multiple towns. While some systems, such as Bot River and Tesselaarsdal, maintained acceptable quality, the broader municipal infrastructure has faced significant challenges.
In December 2023 the municipality celebrated achieving Blue Drop certification for drinking water quality management. Less than three years later residents are being told their water is not fit for human consumption.
The municipality has promised to inform residents when the water is safe to drink and the boil water notice is lifted. Meanwhile, the Town Office for Greyton can be reached on 028 254 9620, and the municipal emergency number is 080 021 4730.
