Swim for Hippo Rollers

Update: 21 July 2023

Swim for Rivers and Educare Mpame are collaborating on bring water to the people of Mpame

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous line, "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink," reflects the plight faced by rural areas in South Africa, including wards 18, 19, and 28 of the Amathole district municipality. These wards depend on the Mcwasa River water scheme, which includes a dam, purification plant, control reservoir, and subsidiary reservoirs, designed to provide water to communal taps serving 6 to 8 households.

The non-profit organization Equality Collective initiated a monitoring system, revealing that 87.8% of the reports between October and March indicated no water. Despite a full dam and abundant rainfall, the taps remain dry due to issues with pumping water from the purification plant to the control reservoir. The 380-volt, three-phase pumps are often inoperable due to power supply problems from Eskom.

Captured rainwater and water from rivers and springs, shared with animals, become the pr...