South Africa’s current water circumstances have, in recent months, come under scrutiny. For South Africa, securing long-term water sanitation solutions and replenishing the water we use back to communities and nature is intricately linked with the country’s social and economic prosperity.

World Water Day, annually celebrated on 22 March, raises awareness, and inspires action to tackle the global water and sanitation crisis. This year, Coca-Cola in South Africa and its bottling partners have joined the United Nations to mobilise on behalf of the country’s citizens living without access to safe water. 

“Water is essential to every person and every ecosystem in the world. It is also essential to the products we make and the agricultural ingredients we use,” says Babongile Mandela, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Director at Coca-Cola Africa, South Africa.

“For this reason and others, Coca-Cola has committed to replenishing every drop of water we use back to the environment as part of the company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy.”

Through the Replenish Africa Initiative ‘RAIN’, The Coca-Cola Foundation invested USD 65 million in improving the lives of six million Africans – providing access to clean water and sanitation, productive use of water, and watershed protection in more than 4,000 communities across 41 countries.

Following this, The Coca-Cola Foundation announced an investment in four new projects in South Africa, in 2022, to remove “thirsty” invasive alien plants from critical water catchment areas feeding major cities and towns across the country. So far, The Coca-Cola Foundation has committed $989,571 in grant funding to return precious litres to nature by rehabilitating degraded landscapes, removing invasive alien plants, and supporting local communities to improve their land management practices.

To date, the teams have collectively rehabilitated and improved land management practices across more than 11,500ha. The rehabilitation activities range from reducing soil erosion on mountain slopes, to improving grazing practices, to cutting down invasive alien plants. The activities are tailored to the local context and circumstances of the landscape. The projects have provided more than 155 jobs, 82 of which are women and 35 are youths. In addition to employment, these beneficiaries also receive skills training (veld and fire management, first aid, chainsaw usage, herbicide application) to improve their future employability in the green economy. 

Each of the above-mentioned projects is unique and deserves its own spotlight. The Coca-Cola Foundation partnership which is with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa in the Enkangala Drakensberg of Mpumalanga has generated impressive results. This project supports the Integrated Vaal River System serving Gauteng by investing in improved land management upstream and will expand the existing protected area network in the Enkangala Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area by 25,00ha. The project will be accompanied by improved land management practices across 12,000ha in collaboration with two local community property associations in Wakkerstroom and Donkerhoek. 

Coca-Cola’s bottling partners are also committed to water restoration enterprises. Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) initiated Coke Ville: innovative off-grid solar-powered groundwater harvesting systems that pump, treat, store, and distribute clean water. Coke Ville launched in 2020 with three systems in Limpopo and has expanded to a total of 32 sites across the country, including Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal. Each project is designed to provide these communities with 10-20 million litres of water annually. To date over 400 million litres have been distributed to over 25 000 households throughout the country.

Similarly, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) focuses on water conservation in its daily operation. Over the past 11 years, CCPB has reduced its water usage by 50%, and was awarded a 5-star rating by the City of Cape Town for water preservation in 2019, which still holds true today. CCPB continues to deliver water to drought-stricken communities and is a regular initiator and participant in coastal clean-ups that aim to remove damaging litter from South African beaches and oceans. 

These water-centric initiatives contribute to the water pillar under JAMII- an Africa-focused sustainability platform launched by Coca-Cola Africa in 2022. JAMII houses existing and new sustainability initiatives in the areas of waste management, water stewardship, and economic empowerment of women and youth.

“Through JAMII, we are partnering with local communities, government, and like-minded organisations to assess, understand and drive effective sustainability goals. These will include providing people with access to safe drinking water, supporting communities with skills and job creation, or reducing the impact of our operations on the environment,” says Mandela.