South Africa: Elections 2026 - This Village in the Langkloof Orchards Is Strewn With Rubbish

What the report says

Residents of Louterwater, a small town in the Kou-Kamma municipality in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, are facing a mix of basic service failures that have left streets littered with rubbish, drains overflowing and water supplies unreliable. The report, published by GroundUp and distributed by AllAfrica, says the community of roughly 5,000 people includes farmworkers and former farmworkers living in formal homes, backyard dwellings, an informal settlement and RDP housing.

According to the article, GroundUp found at least ten illegal dumping sites in the town. Residents said refuse collection is irregular, bags are often left out for long periods and dogs tear them open, while some people burn waste because it is not removed on time. A municipal EPWP clean-up team said it lacked enough bags and equipment to keep up, and the ward councillor said only one refuse truck serves the area inconsistently.

The article also describes sewage blockages and an intermittent water supply. Some residents told GroundUp that toilets back up and that water sometimes runs for only a few hours a day, forcing households to store water or collect it elsewhere. Others said dirty runoff and discoloured tap water are affecting daily life and raising health concerns, especially for children.

Kou-Kamma municipality’s draft annual report and development plan, as cited in the story, acknowledge challenges linked to distance, landfill access and infrastructure needs, and outline planned spending on boreholes, reservoirs and repairs. The municipality had not responded to GroundUp’s questions before publication, according to the report.