A brave go-getter, 29-year-old Eastern Cape businesswoman Zizipho Dyani, has been backed by a major bank to set up a water purification business in thirsty Butterworth and surrounding Mnquma municipality.
Dyani, 29, left her good job as an account manager at Algoa FM and her East London home and hit the road to realise her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Her OR Water Systems, which opens in the first week of April in Butterworth, will house the first privately owned micro water purification plant in the town and district.
Walls have been tiled, new taps installed and the entire space has been reconstructed to fit the filter tanks and new pumps.
She said she had already employed five Butterworth people to work on the extraction and purification of water.
Her contribution to job creation may sound small, but it comes at a time, according to statistician-general Risenga Maluleke, when the province is one of the worst job-shedders in South Africa. The latest quarterly labour survey found the Eastern Cape lost 30000 jobs from October to December. Unemployment rose last year by 6.7% to 35.1%.
It took Dyani years of pitching her business idea to anyone willing to listen. She battled her way through a lot of disappointment, she said.
She was turned down by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, the National Empowerment Fund and the Small Enterprise Development Agency.
It was only when she attended a business development summit in East London last year, hosted by the bank, that she made her breakthrough.
The event was held to encourage young people to pitch their business ideas. Speaking as her shop outfitting was nearing completion, she said the premises would see a four- or five-stage process for purifying and preparing water.
Dyani’s operation will be one of 280 similar water stores across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
She plans on selling 1000 litres of purified water a day, and in winter expects to reach daily sales of 2500 litres.
Although her target market is the public, businesses may also be wanting her services.
She said the local KFC outlet, which used an estimated 2000 litres a day, car wash businesses and laundromats would also be looking for reliable, clean water.
The Amathole district municipality, including Mnquma, is one of three Eastern Cape municipalities which national government declared disaster areas this week.
This follows years of water shortages in which livestock have died without water or feed.
Among the hardest hit areas is Butterworth and Mnquma.
Dyani said her feasibility study showed that for her size of business, there would be enough supply from the local Xilinxa dam, but she expected to be sinking a borehole.
Parts of Butterworth and Dutywa rely on communal tanks.
Zuko Nomaka, who runs a car wash in the area, said each year they prepared themselves for water shortages and eventually a total non-supply of water.
He said Dyani’s business would be important for household use.
“ I wish we could also get to a point where someone who can operate a private dam comes to the town.
“We are tired of knowing that our businesses will come to a standstill once we get into winter. Well done to the lady,” said Nomaka.
EC entrepreneur brings fresh idea to thirsty town
Dyani, 29, left her good job as an account manager at Algoa FM and her East London home and hit the road to realise her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Her OR Water Systems, which opens in the first week of April in Butterworth, will house the first privately owned micro water purification plant in the town and district.
Walls have been tiled, new taps installed and the entire space has been reconstructed to fit the filter tanks and new pumps.
She said she had already employed five Butterworth people to work on the extraction and purification of water.
Her contribution to job creation may sound small, but it comes at a time, according to statistician-general Risenga Maluleke, when the province is one of the worst job-shedders in South Africa. The latest quarterly labour survey found the Eastern Cape lost 30000 jobs from October to December. Unemployment rose last year by 6.7% to 35.1%.
It took Dyani years of pitching her business idea to anyone willing to listen. She battled her way through a lot of disappointment, she said.
She was turned down by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, the National Empowerment Fund and the Small Enterprise Development Agency.
It was only when she attended a business development summit in East London last year, hosted by the bank, that she made her breakthrough.
The event was held to encourage young people to pitch their business ideas. Speaking as her shop outfitting was nearing completion, she said the premises would see a four- or five-stage process for purifying and preparing water.
Dyani’s operation will be one of 280 similar water stores across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
She plans on selling 1000 litres of purified water a day, and in winter expects to reach daily sales of 2500 litres.
Although her target market is the public, businesses may also be wanting her services.
She said the local KFC outlet, which used an estimated 2000 litres a day, car wash businesses and laundromats would also be looking for reliable, clean water.
The Amathole district municipality, including Mnquma, is one of three Eastern Cape municipalities which national government declared disaster areas this week.
This follows years of water shortages in which livestock have died without water or feed.
Among the hardest hit areas is Butterworth and Mnquma.
Dyani said her feasibility study showed that for her size of business, there would be enough supply from the local Xilinxa dam, but she expected to be sinking a borehole.
Parts of Butterworth and Dutywa rely on communal tanks.
Zuko Nomaka, who runs a car wash in the area, said each year they prepared themselves for water shortages and eventually a total non-supply of water.
He said Dyani’s business would be important for household use.
“ I wish we could also get to a point where someone who can operate a private dam comes to the town.
“We are tired of knowing that our businesses will come to a standstill once we get into winter. Well done to the lady,” said Nomaka.
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