Relief for Mankweng residents as Coca-Cola installs boreholes
As part of their Coke Ville programme, two boreholes were installed in two villages in Mankweng in the hopes of alleviating water scarcity in the area.
POLOKWANE – Residents within the greater Mankweng area will enjoy some level of relief from the ongoing water woes, after Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) handed over a series of boreholes recently.
The company installed two boreholes in Mankweng at Mantjana/Sephaphose village and in Makanye village. Another two were installed in Moletjie, King Solly Park village and in Magodu, respectively.
The boreholes form part of the company’s Coke Ville programme, an off-grid, solar-powered groundwater harvesting and treatment project that supports distressed communities in water-scarce or drought-stricken communities.
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The Coke Ville systems are worth over R3m and were delivered to Mantjana/Sephaphose on October 12.
The project was rolled out in partnership with the National Department of Water and Sanitation, the Polokwane Municipality, local tribal authorities and the communities.
The director of public affairs, communication and sustainability at CCBSA, Nozicelo Ngcobo, indicated that the newly installed Coke Ville systems each has the capacity to deliver 4.6 million litres of drinkable water per year, or around 37 808 litres per day.
The systems are able to pump, treat, store and distribute clean water to communities in need and operate at no cost to the residents of the communities in which they are located.
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She stated that the Coke Ville is part of the company’s commitment to the well-being of communities and the sustainability of precious water resources. There has been a major focus on deploying Coke Ville projects in peri-urban and rural communities to help build more resilient communities, she added.
David Mahlobo, the deputy minister of water and sanitation, encouraged residents to focus on behavioural change to help preserve precious water resources within their respective communities.
“Part of the solution is to be more responsible with how we use water so that it is kept for essential purposes such as hydration, food preparation and washing and cleaning,” he said.
Since the inception of the borehole groundwater harvesting programme in 2020, over 300m litres of water have been distributed in the province alone.
CCBSA has installed a total of 12 Coke Ville systems in Tshikota, in Makhado, Makhushaneng, Lebowakgomo, Ga-Mokgopo and Ga-Ramoshwane.
Polokwane Municipality’s water and sanitation portfolio chairperson, Motlogeleng Moakamedi said the municipality appreciates the continued support of CCBSA as a strategic corporate partner to assist with the provision of clean and safe drinking water for household use.
“We also call on our communities and other consumers to preserve water and assist in controlling the demand which is always higher than the supply. Reliable access to good, safe water is essential to life, nature and the health of our communities. This project is an indication that working together with the corporate sector, we can overcome the challenges experienced by our communities,” he said.
CCBSA has installed Coke Villes in Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, particularly in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area.
To date, CCBSA has distributed over 658m litres of water to over 35 000 households throughout the country.
Each Coke Ville comes complete with a tank stand, storage tanks, lockable manhole for a pump, an alarm system for security, palisade fencing around tank stand and solar panels with a lockable gate.
The taps are located outside the system to allow communities to fetch water at their convenience.
“We look to join hands with all spheres of government, other key stakeholders, and the communities themselves, to see how we can support and help build capacity through partnerships. As a company that uses water as one of its key ingredients, we are very conscious of the importance of preserving water for future generations, as we operate in a water scarce country that’s also prone to droughts. At CCBSA, we aim to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for our planet ,” Ngcobo concluded.
Globally, the Coca-Cola Company’s Water Stewardship Strategy 2030 is a three-pronged strategy to water, which is focused on regenerative operations, healthy watersheds and ultimately supporting resilient communities.
