East entrepreneur drills borehole to assist community in need

An entrepreneur from the east of Pretoria has built a home and drilled a borehole for one of his workers in a small community of Klipgat.

The borehole goes 90m deep and is solar-powered with a backup electrical system.

The Madibeng municipality continues to struggle to deliver water to the community of Klipgat.

While many residents have taken it upon themselves to install JoJo tanks in their yards, many others who are less fortunate have to travel four long kilometres to get water.

A Moreleta Park chartered accountant and business owner, Arrie Steynberg, said he felt that it was necessary to give back and support the people who work for him.

“I felt that it is important to do something to alleviate the daily challenges people face,” he said.

Steynberg identified a rural community in Klipgat where one of his most loyal workers, Boesman Sibanyoni (47), resides with his wife and daughter.

Here he has not only decided to drill a borehole but also constructed a house for Sibanyoni.

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Sibanyoni, who has worked for Steynberg for over 20 years, has lived in a shack with his family in unsavoury conditions – bitterly cold in winter and sweltering in summer.

Ever since getting married in 2019, Sibanyoni has wanted to buy a home for his wife.

“There is a big difference between our shack and the new house. My wife and I are very excited,” he said.

Sibanyoni recalled the hardships of living without water.

“Government taps only have water during the rainy seasons. For the rest of the year, we have had to struggle to find other ways to have clean water.

“I feel very happy and grateful because the borehole is going to be able to help each and everyone in this community. It will assist more than a 100 people with clean water.”

Steynberg said he chose Sibanyoni and his community because he understood their struggles and empathised with them.

The house will be solar-powered and will have three bedrooms.

“I feel very proud to be able to do something good. It is our responsibility to plough back into the community,” said Steynberg.

His company, GO Business, has partnered with GO Cloud and Envirolite concrete to build an eco-friendly yet sustainable home for Sibanyoni and his family.

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