{"id":296906,"date":"2026-03-26T12:27:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=296906"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:27:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:27:34","slug":"delayed-project-fails-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Delayed project fails community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16<\/a>, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project, initially launched to replace unsafe and unhygienic pit toilets with modern sanitation facilities, has allegedly been abandoned despite a contractor having been appointed. Residents in the T11 Section continue to rely on basic pit toilets, raising concerns about health risks, safety, and human dignity.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to DA PR Cllr Luttiga Presente, the prolonged delay represents a critical failure in service delivery and governance.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She argues that the situation not only undermines residents’ living conditions but also points to deeper issues of accountability within the municipality.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Approximately 1 500 households in Thabong ward 16 continue to live without access to proper flushing toilets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“The continued use of pit toilets exposes residents to daily indignity and serious health hazards. This situation cannot be allowed to persist,” Presente said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DA has raised several unanswered questions regarding the project, including the identity of the appointed contractor, the total value of the contract, how much of the budget has already been spent, and why no action has been taken against the contractor for non-performance.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presente confirmed that the party intends to formally approach Acting Municipal Manager, Thabo Panyani <\/a>to demand a full investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are calling for complete transparency, including the disclosure of contractual details, the current status of the project, and the whereabouts of the contractor.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The party has also emphasised the need for consequence management, stating that contractors who fail to deliver should face blacklisting and possible financial recovery measures, while municipal officials responsible for oversight failures should be subjected to disciplinary action,” she says.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue has reignited debate around governance and accountability in Matjhabeng, with critics pointing to what they describe as a culture of impunity where projects are abandoned without repercussions.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Crucially, this matter cannot end with another investigation report that gathers dust. There must be real consequence management. Any contractor who has failed to deliver must be held accountable, blacklisted where necessary and compelled to repay funds if public money has been misused. Likewise, any municipal officials who failed in their oversight responsibilities must face disciplinary action. This culture of impunity in Matjhabeng<\/a>, where projects are abandoned without consequence, and residents are left to suffer, must end. Public funds are not a blank cheque for contractors’ incompetence and neglect,” says Presente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Meanwhile, affected residents in Thabong continue to wait for basic sanitation services, with growing frustration over the municipality’s failure to deliver on its commitments.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The DA has vowed to continue pressing for the completion of the project and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” says community activist Patrick Mholo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A sanitation project in Matjhabeng Local Municipality, aimed at replacing pit toilets in ward 16, has been incomplete for over five years, leaving 1,500 households without proper toilets. Delays raise health and safety concerns, prompting demands for accountability from officials and contractors. Residents continue to suffer from inadequate sanitation services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":296907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"73","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"[{\"keyword\":\"Delayed project fails community\",\"score\":61}]","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"\",\"Delayed project fails community\"]","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"A full and transparent investigation into the abandoned sanitation project in ward 16, T11 Section, is being demanded by the community.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"Marti","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Delayed project fails community","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["vinSEWERThabong_P1","vinSEWERThabong_P2"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7902,7970],"tags":[8900,9179,9078,9178],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-296906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news","tag-matjhabeng-local-municipality","tag-pit-toilets","tag-thabo-panyani","tag-thabong-ward-16"],"yoast_head":"\nDelayed project fails community | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Delayed project fails community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\"},\"headline\":\"Delayed project fails community\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":470,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Matjhabeng Local Municipality\",\"Pit toilets\",\"Thabo Panyani\",\"Thabong Ward 16\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/\",\"name\":\"Delayed project fails community | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"A full and transparent investigation into the abandoned sanitation project in ward 16, T11 Section, is being demanded by the community.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/delayed-project-fails-community\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Delayed project fails community\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\",\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marti Will\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/marti-will\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Delayed project fails community | Vista","description":"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Delayed project fails community","og_description":"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marti Will","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marti Will","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/"},"author":{"name":"Marti Will","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956"},"headline":"Delayed project fails community","datePublished":"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/"},"wordCount":470,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","keywords":["Matjhabeng Local Municipality","Pit toilets","Thabo Panyani","Thabong Ward 16"],"articleSection":["Community","News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/","name":"Delayed project fails community | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-03-26T10:27:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-26T10:27:34+00:00","description":"A long-promised sanitation project aimed at eradicating pit toilets in ward 16, near the Thabong Sports Centre in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, has reportedly been left incomplete for more than five years, causing about 1 500 households to be without access to proper flushing toilets.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","width":1200,"height":1600,"caption":"A full and transparent investigation into the abandoned sanitation project in ward 16, T11 Section, is being demanded by the community."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/delayed-project-fails-community\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Delayed project fails community"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956","name":"Marti Will","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Marti Will"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/marti-will\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Thabongsewer3_80355.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":79403,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/the-poor-of-the-poor-discriminated-against-by-matjhabeng-community-development-centers-in-disrepair\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":0},"title":"The poor of the poor discriminated against by Matjhabeng – Community Development Centers in Disrepair","author":"Vista","date":"16 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"These community assets have the potential to support local development, youth activities, and social programs. However, neglect has led to their current state. We urge the municipality to perform basic maintenance, such as grass cutting, and apply for grants to rehabilitate the stadium and community hall","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/reaholastadium_25232.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/reaholastadium_25232.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/reaholastadium_25232.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/reaholastadium_25232.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/reaholastadium_25232.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58393,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/sanitation-finally-at-hand-20220216-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":1},"title":"Sanitation finally at hand","author":"Vista","date":"17 February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Sibanye-Stillwater\u2019s Beatrix Gold Mine has officially handed over a water reticulation infrastructure development project valued at more than R13 million to the Masilonyana Local Municipality.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":297410,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/dedicated-health-protection-ringfencing\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":2},"title":"Dedicated health protection ringfencing must be built into R4 billion sanitation intervention","author":"Marti Will","date":"16 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ward 30 Neighbourhood Watch in Thabong, Welkom, advocates for health protection measures to accompany the R4 billion sanitation initiative. Chairperson Pogisho Mholo emphasizes that infrastructure repairs alone won\u2019t mitigate health risks from sewage pollution. The organization seeks dedicated health funding for screenings and environmental recovery to address ongoing health\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Patrick1_75209-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Patrick1_75209-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Patrick1_75209-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Patrick1_75209-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Patrick1_75209-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47863,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/lack-of-water-a-health-risk-20240717\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":3},"title":"Lack of water a health risk","author":"Vista","date":"18 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Stan Motlhale, Thabon\u00adg:.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/53242c2b2e1a4fdea7f59316be3c3b51.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/53242c2b2e1a4fdea7f59316be3c3b51.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/53242c2b2e1a4fdea7f59316be3c3b51.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51308,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/towns-drown-in-problems-20231026-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":4},"title":"Towns drown in problems","author":"Vista","date":"26 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The sewage crisis engulfing and flooding virtually every town, settlement and even waterway in Matjhabeng is heading towards a major ecological and health disaster.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da478b5580ea434caa554cc56bca77c7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da478b5580ea434caa554cc56bca77c7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da478b5580ea434caa554cc56bca77c7.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da478b5580ea434caa554cc56bca77c7.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":263295,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/people-of-thabong-denied-dignity\/","url_meta":{"origin":296906,"position":5},"title":"People of Thabong denied dignity","author":"Vista","date":"5 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The municipality recently issued a media statement, claiming to be working hard to resolve the crisis. Yet on the ground, nothing is changing. The sewage continues to flow. Illegal dumping grows by the day. The once proud township of Thabong, which used to be ranked among the cleanest, has become\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Constantia-Road-Thabong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Constantia-Road-Thabong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Constantia-Road-Thabong.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Constantia-Road-Thabong.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Constantia-Road-Thabong.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296906"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=296906"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=296906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}