AMANZ'ABANTU SERVICES

www.aFRIC aoutlookmag.Com

A m A n z ’ A b A n t u

S e r v i c e S

W W W . A S e r v e . c O . z A

A m A n z ’

A b A n t u

S e r v i c e S

Water for the

PEOPLE amanz’ abantu Services was established as a private South african company in 1997 with the aim of providing water supply and sanitation services for peri-urban and rural populations in the Eastern Cape, one of the poorest regions of South africa.

Writer Susan Miller Project manager Sheridan Halls

2

www.aFRICaoutlookmag.Com

W

A

t

e

r

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

www.aFRICaoutlookmag.Com

3

A m a n z ’

a b a n t u

S e r v i c e s

Ive is unsure of Impilo’s exact future but says “let’s see how it goes” because there is a space and someone needs to fill it. “It’s creating business where there was none and moving into a space where there is an appalling lack of service,” he stresses.

There’s interest in the concept and the pilot project is being ‘extended out’ while other interested parties include the Departments of Health and Education and local municipalities.

And it’s also about maintenance, as Ive points out – often toilets are pit latrines or cess pits as there is no running water – so they have to be maintained over a long period of time in a sustainable manner. And because of health and environmental concerns about for the community. He stresses that co- create its local partners and then gives unregulated work, he feels it’s important operation is “imperative” for working them a set of procedures to follow to to get the sector regulated. “We can in the rural areas and the involvement run their business in the water sector. work with small businesses and teach of the community is all-important. “It “We give them a packaged business them what is right but the Government is better to be part of the process and and expect that they will work with also needs to come to the party,” he says. know where the risks lie,” he says. us in collectively providing services to “We need to come up with solutions that While the company is still very municipal and public clients. The idea aren’t just small business and job-creation much involved in providing water is that we can create jobs with these and sanitation it is assisting with small businesses and a network of these friendly but that can also be responsible in the way it’s done.” rolling out social housing. Ive says small businesses where we can offer There is potential for growth in this there has been failure in providing our public service clients a well thought sector with the African Development social housing on the part of the through and sustainable business Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates’ Government because they come out format to meet their needs.”

Foundation ‘pumping money into with “huge plans” and then find the Impilo Yabantu’s first major service providers and contractors undertaking was the Butterworth Water research to see how things can be they have engaged don’t have the and Sanitation Pilot Project to service 400 done better’.

Ironically for a private sector business, “necessary skills or capacity to carry schools in the Butterworth educational Ive is keen to see more competition out or finish the works.” district. Many of the Eastern Cape’s in the water services sector because It’s something Amanz’ abantu takes schools don’t even have toilets or their the sector and the market “need it to very seriously and Ive stresses that toilets and water systems don’t work. what’s needed is “an established set of Made possible by funding from Irish become good at what it does.”

While he is hopeful that things are procedures and people who know how Aid, the project designed and tested moving he feels ideological constraints to do the work at the right quality.” the social franchising partnership can get in the way, especially from Indeed they took it so seriously model to carry out the operation and those who view the private sector that they created Impilo Yabantu maintenance of water and sanitation as simply profiteering and prefer (Hygiene for People) in 2009, a wholly- infrastructure and facilities. owned subsidiary and water services This meant in effect that 400 schools Government to step in.

“I firmly believe that a private franchising service. Ive says the idea had their sanitation facilities overhauled solution allows so many more things to is to “have it as a franchised business – and in some cases had toilets built happen on the ground.” to employ or partner with small and for the first time. It was acclaimed At present Amanz’ abantu is helping emerging locally based businesses.” a success and the Department of to build the Mndwaka Dam near HoleMerely by identifying potential Education has already lauded its In-The-Wall on the Transkei coast. entrepreneurs, Impilo Yabantu helps to possibilities in future projects.

A rural water project in Peddie from the early days of Amanz’ abantu

4

www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com

W

A

t

e

r

DRILLING AND PLANT HIRE

You need water, we will get it - You need the plant, we supply the plant Contact Danie Koegelenberg for more information:

Tel: 043 7321084/5/6 Ext 2 Cell: 083 301 2682 E-mail: daniek@mweb.co.za Website – Joshdan.wozaonline.co.za

working with business partners, the project employs labour intensive methods using a rubble masonry concrete technology which involves carrying the rocks and placing the rocks by hand into a mortar bed. It’s quite a sizeable dam, with a 29m high centre arch wall and it will help to secure water for the wider area. the point of adopting this labour intensive approach is to offer employment to local ‘unskilled’ people who might never have worked before – it’s a short-term solution but gives at least 150 people work for the duration of the project. as Ive points out, there are answers to the difficulties of providing rural water services. “there is definitely a need for a locally-based operations business or network that can provide services. why should people be paying extraordinary amounts of money for highly-trained people to travel from the cities when a lot of it could be done – because of its routine nature – by self-motivated local entrepreneurs?” many of those still waiting for sanitation or running water would no doubt agree…

www.aFRICaoutlookmag.Com

5

E n q u iries Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151 Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053 ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 144 ian.armitage@outlookpublishing.com

www.africaoutlookmag.com

AMANZ’ABANTU SERVICES 59 Beach Road Nahoon East London 5241 Tel: (043) 735 3581 Fax: (043) 735 3933 Email: amanzi@aserve.co.za

www.aserve.co.za