Mpumalanga tourism mecca no more as sewage and water crisis deepens

The collapse of service delivery in the Thaba Chweu local municipality in Mpumalanga, which includes Lydenburg, Graskop, Sabie and Pilgrim’s Rest, is negatively affecting tourism-oriented businesses in the area, with concerns over water quality and sewage pollution.

Recent water samples tested by iLab in conjunction with AfriForum showed coliform bacteria at a level flagged as unsafe, while alkalinity was also recorded at a warning level.

Unsafe water in Thaba Chweu

A sample taken from a tap in Lydenburg showed that the chlorine level was zero, according to the test results.

Ferrial Adam, executive director of WaterCan, said the results indicated the water was not safe for consumption.

Adam said Thaba Chweu was among several municipalities struggling to provide safe drinking water.

“The approach is to investigate the water treatment and ascertain why the water is unsafe and see if it’s possible to remedy it is a starting point.

“In addition, we need to start seeing accountability,” she said. When The Citizen visited Mashishing (formerly Lydenburg) sewage was spilling onto streets and into a river.

Sewage spills onto streets and rivers

Marius Opperman, a DA councillor in the municipality, called on mayor Friddah Nkadimeng to urgently engage with her administration and develop a plan to improve water quality.

“This raises concern over the municipality’s water purification processes before being channelled into the supply system.

“The municipality needs to take note of the fact that South Africa’s drinking water standards require water supplied for human consumption to comply with SA National Standard 241, which sets legal and technical limits for physical, chemical, microbiological, operational and aesthetic parameters of potable water.

“Additionally the department of water and sanitation requires municipalities to undertake regular water quality monitoring,” Opperman said.

Political parties and community activists have called on the national government and other authorities to intervene and address the problems facing the municipality, which is home to several nature-based tourist attractions that attract international visitors.

Panorama Route depends on tourism

Oupa Pilane, chair of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association board, said the situation in Thaba Chweu was deeply concerning because the municipality is at the heart of one of Mpumalanga’s important tourism regions.

“Graskop, Sabie, Pilgrim’s Rest and much of the Panorama Route depend heavily on tourism for businesses, employment and local economic activity.

“The lack of reliable water supply and the discharge of sewage into rivers are therefore not only service delivery problems, they are tourism and economic development problems,” Pilane said.

He said tourism depended on a functioning destination, adding that hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, attractions and other tourism establishments could not provide visitors with acceptable standards without a reliable water supply.

“Businesses are increasingly forced to install water tanks, boreholes, filtration systems and other backup infrastructure simply to remain operational.

Sewage serious concern because route is nature-based

“These costs ultimately affect the competitiveness and sustainability of the destination.”

Pilane said sewage pollution was also a serious concern because the Panorama Route is a nature-based tourism destination.

“The rivers, waterfalls, forests, landscapes and biodiversity are part of the product sold to visitors.

“Sewage entering rivers threatens the environment on which the tourism economy depends and potentially damages the reputation of the destination.

“There is also a broader reputational issue because visitors do not distinguish between the responsibilities of a municipality, provincial government and the private sector.

“They experience the destination as one product.

“If the roads are deteriorating, towns are dirty, water is unavailable, or sewage is flowing into rivers, the visitor’s perception is that the destination is failing.”

Pilane said this could affect repeat visits, recommendations, tour operator confidence, investment and ultimately jobs.

“This is why we have been advocating for a much stronger partnership between the government and the tourism industry. “Tourism cannot grow through marketing alone.

“We can spend millions promoting Mpumalanga internationally and domestically, but if the basic infrastructure supporting the visitor experience is deteriorating, we undermine that investment.”

Urgent intervention needed

He said that, through the Panorama Route Reimagined initiative, the association was advocating for a comprehensive master plan addressing infrastructure, roads, beautification, safety and security, environmental management, investment and the overall visitor experience on the route.

Pilane added that an urgent intervention was needed in Thaba Chweu.

“Water and wastewater infrastructure affecting tourism nodes and environmentally sensitive areas should be treated as economic infrastructure requiring priority attention.

“We must also recognise that tourism is one of the industries capable of creating jobs in communities such as Graskop, Sabie and Pilgrim’s Rest.

“When basic municipal services fail, we are not simply inconveniencing tourists, we are putting local businesses, livelihoods and future investment at risk.”

Economic problems, not just service issues

He said the government and the tourism industry had a shared responsibility to protect the Panorama Route as an economic and environmental asset.

“We cannot market our way out of service delivery failure. We have to fix the destination while we market it.”

Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency spokesperson Simphiwe Shungube said the agency still needed to conduct an assessment to determine how the tourism sector was being affected by the sewage and water crisis.

“However, issues of sewage spillage must be referred to the responsible authority,” Shungube said.

Pompie Ledwaba, president of the Mpumalanga Civic Coalition Movement, said the water and sewage crisis had been ongoing for a long time.

Ongoing crisis for a long time

“We have protested for so many years in the municipality about the water and sewage issue, but nothing was done about it.

“As a movement, our aim is to teach people how to vote better.

“We have been running workshops educating and encouraging people to go out for the party that will solve their problems,” Ledwaba said.

Internationally renowned tourists’ attraction sites in Thaba Chweu

Graskop Gorge’s zipline and big swing. Picture: iStock

• God’s Window is one of the best viewpoints on the Panorama Route. It offers extensive views of the Lowveld.
• Bourke’s Luck Potholes is a cylindrical rock formation created by water erosion serving as a meeting point of the Blyde and Treur rivers.
• The Pinnacle Rock is a quartzite rock formation and scenic viewpoint.
• Pilgrim’s Rest is known for its historic gold-mining town and heritage attraction associated with South Africa’s gold-rush history.
• Sudwala Caves are old limestone caves featuring large chambers, stalactites and stalagmites.
• Sabie Long Tom Pass is a mountain pass between Sabie and Mashishing with spectacular mountain scenery and historical connections to the Anglo-Boer War.
• Sabie Falls is a waterfall in a close proximity to the centre of Sabie.
• Mac Mac Falls is a famous waterfall along the Panorama Route.
• Horse Shoe Falls is a scenic waterfall also situated in the Sabie area.
• Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve is a nature-based recreation and scenic mountainous landscape.
• Mount Sheba Nature Reserve is famous for its indigenous mountain forests and natural environment.
• Lydenburg/Mashishing heritage attractions is important for its archaeological and cultural tourism.
• The Lydenburg Heads dates back to around 400AD.

Early morning mist in the small town of Pilgrim’s Rest in Mpumalanga. Picture: iStock