Supplied
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa on Thursday unveiled a R12-million groundbreaking water initiative which is expected to supply the entire drought-stricken town of Graaff-Reinett with millions of litres of potable water.
The mega project - which is supported by the National and Provincial Departments of Water and Sanitation, as well as the Beyers Naude Local Municipality - has been equipped with renewable solar energy and will be completely independent from Eskom power supply.
The company said the off-grid, always-on-solar powered system, named Coke Ville, was launched in Graaff-Reinett on Thursday morning and is set to benefit thousands of households.
Coke Ville has the capacity to fill up the town's 18 mega litre storage reservoir with at least 1.5 mega litres of water per month.
Eastern Cape Provincial Head at Department of Water and Sanitation, Portia Makhanya, said Gqeberha also benefited from a similar system in 2022. .
"This is not the not the only area [that has benefited]. They also went to Walmer in Gqeberha last year and handed over a similar system, joined by the Premier [Oscar Mabuyane] and the Minister [of Water and Sanitation] Senzo Mchunu as part of the intervention," Makhanya told Algoa FM's Kaycee Rossouw.
"This is a public-private partnership that has been forged by the Department as well as Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa."
Coke Ville comes complete with a tank stand, storage tanks, lockable manhole for pump, alarm system for security, palisade fencing around the tank stand and solar panels with lockable gate.
The taps are located outside the system to allow communities to fetch water at their convenience.
