Reliable access to good safe water is essential to life, nature, and the health of our communities. Across the world, approximately 1.9 billion people live in potentially water-scarce areas. South Africa is regarded as the 30th most water scarce country in the world, with little fresh water resources.
In March 2020, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) installed a groundwater harvesting project in Tshikota Village, Makhado. Through the project, we want to provide water access to 2000 homes. To date, 14 million litres of water have been distributed in the community. The groundwater harvesting project involves constructing three solar powered borehole systems that provide water to surrounding households. Following the success of the project, CCBSA built the same project in Makushoaneng village in Zebediela. The project was launched at the beginning of December and to date, 700 000 litres has been provided to the community and is expected to benefit over 2000 households. We will provide 50 water wheelers to community members who are too fragile to walk to the boreholes daily. These water wheelers will be distributed by the Makushoaneng Tribal Authority.
Furthermore, the community of Makushoaneng will be receiving other projects, this will include a new, sustainable, 29-meter vegetable garden which will be handed over to a local NGO run by women and caters food to local, elderly women daily. In support of local economic development, we identified a young female entrepreneur who will receive a spaza shop container to run her business from, she will also receive an upgrade to her car wash business and training on how to run and maintain a business.
“Our aim is to create greater shared opportunity for the business, stakeholders and the communities we serve. We are committed to using water more responsibly in our operations, return water to the environment and improve access to water for communities” said Nathalie Hendricks, Regional Public Affairs and Communications Manager. CCBSA, together with the Makushoaneng Tribal Authority, recognise that the community can thrive when there is a reliable water source to sustain life.
“No one organisation can solve the world’s water issues by itself, but through innovative and meaningful public and private partnerships, this vital shared resource can be protected. Therefore, to ensure that the community of Makushoaneng has improved infrastructure and reliable access to clean water, CCBSA partnered with the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local municipality and Department of Human Settlement, Water and Sanitation (DHSWS) and the local NGO. .
The project handover will take place on 18 March 2021 at Makushoaneng village.
About CCBSA
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is a proudly South African company which began operating as a legal entity in July 2016, after the merger of six non-alcoholic ready to drink bottling operations. We employ over 7000 people at 13 manufacturing facilities across the country.
As a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, our vision is to refresh Africa every day and make our continent a better place for all. We manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola beverages that make life’s everyday moments more enjoyable, while doing business the right way. The result is shared opportunity for our customers, our employees, our communities, and our shareholders.
We conduct our business ethically, transparently and conscientiously. We espouse an inclusive business culture to reflect our African identity. We accelerate sustainable, profitable revenue growth across all categories and offer an innovative portfolio of products that respond to customer needs and consumer preferences. Profitability is important, but not at any cost. People matter. Our planet matters. We do business the right way by following our values and partnering for solutions that benefit us all.
