The Western Cape Government has reaffirmed its commitment to stabilising governance and improving service delivery in the Theewaterskloof Municipality, with a combination of financial interventions, infrastructure investment and institutional support.

The MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, said on Thursday the province recognises the concerns relating to governance, service delivery and water security in the municipality. He was responding to questions in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

“The people of Theewaterskloof deserve a municipality that is well governed, accountable and able to deliver reliable basic services. Our approach is therefore not simply to respond to individual crises, but to address the underlying institutional and infrastructure challenges that affect sustainable service delivery,” Bredell said.

Support Plan

Theewaterskloof is currently implementing an Article 139(5) Financial Recovery Plan, with the Provincial Treasury and Department of Local Government providing strengthened oversight and monitoring corrective measures. The Province also plans to implement an Article 154 support plan to complement the recovery plan, focusing on strengthening institutional capacity, management systems and long-term service delivery planning.

The Department’s Municipal Communication function is supporting the municipality with strategic communication tools, particularly around service delivery challenges and disruptions, to promote transparency and greater trust between communities and local government.

During the 2025-’26 financial year, the Department provided R400 000 through a Municipal Intervention Grant for waste management, R400 000 for water and sanitation upgrades, and R1,65 million through the Water Resilience Programme to upgrade the raw-water storage facility at Voorstekraal.

For 2026-’27, the municipality has been allocated R800 000 through the Municipal Energy Resilience Grant, including R300 000 for an additional electrical engineering technician and R500 000 for an Electricity Master Plan.

Through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, R31,668 million was allocated to Theewaterskloof for 2025-’26, of which R30,383 million – 96% – has been spent to date, supporting water, wastewater and waste-management infrastructure projects in Grabouw, Riviersonderend and Botrivier.

Bredell stressed that infrastructure investment must be accompanied by effective planning and management. “Funding infrastructure is important, but it is only part of the solution. Municipalities must have the institutional capacity to plan properly, implement projects, maintain their assets and communicate honestly with their residents,” he said.

The Department will continue monitoring the implementation of these interventions and engaging regularly with the municipality to identify and address risks affecting service delivery.

“Communities must experience a local government that is accountable, responsive and capable of delivering the basic services on which people depend,” Bredell concluded.