water
ife without clean water and sanitation is hard to imagine for most city dwellers however that’s the harsh reality for many in South Africa’s peri-urban and rural areas – and the situation needs fixing urgently. One company, Amanz’ abantu Services (Pty) Ltd (the name means water for the people in Xhosa) has made its mark in this often-forgotten sector. Based in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, the company was formed after the 1994 elections when the newly democratic South Africa re-incorporated former ‘homelands’ like the Transkei and Ciskei under one umbrella – and took on the provision of their services too. The National Department of Water Affairs issued a challenge to the private sector to assist them in rolling out – on a turnkey approach – the then Reconstruction and Development Programme. Oliver Ive, Managing Director of Amanz’ abantu, says the company grew out of “five or six large, well-established firms who came together with the objective of implementing a turnkey rollout for water services for the rural poor.” And it’s kept going – even beyond the initial period governed by a government contract, which Mr Ive feels has given the firm “a certain character”. “We had to go out there and find opportunities. We have kept in the same or similar market place of water services provision, although we have expanded to look more holistically at human settlements – but it’s always a developmental focus that we’ve had,” he says. While the company has worked outside the Eastern Cape, it still finds most of its work there, which is an indictment on the conditions still facing the rural poor in the province. Ive is well aware of this. “A lot of people look at South Africa and say how well we are doing because we have got a First and Third World combined, they don’t see that there is still a lot of poverty… we still have millions of people who don’t have access to basic services.” He says while there has been major strides he has also seen “delays in getting the job done and people taking their eye off the ball.” Amanz’ abantu is a private company responsible to its shareholders – two thirds of which are historically disadvantaged firms and individuals, but Ive often uses language that sounds like he might be working in the Non-Governmental sector. While he’s clear that the company has to make a profit and keep its costs down, he’s also insistent that it works Continued
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