Entrepreneur on a mission to provide schools with clean water - local participation key, says Murendeni Mafumo

CapeTalk's John Maytham interviews Murendeni Mafumo, founder of Kusini Water.

In South Africa, over 11 million people still live without access to clean water — and one in three schools lacks adequate water and sanitation. 

For pupils, this can mean disease, missed classes, and lost potential.

For Murendeni Mafumo, who trained and previously worked as a water scientist, it meant a mission. 

Born and raised in rural Venda, Mafumo says  he has always been aware of water supply as a challenge as a topic of conversation.

Responding to South Africa's water challenges, he founded Kusini Water in 2016.

Since then, the public benefit organisation (PBO) has set up 260 sites and services over 60 schools.

This is possible thanks to the mobile, solar-powered water purification systems it makes.

'All our systems are modular, customisable, mobile-enabled, affordable, and durable.'

Mafumo says the reason many aid-based water projects on the continent fail, is because they don't focus on community participation.

"What we try and do is build systems that are easy for schools, for communities and organisations to operate on a long-term basis."

Murendeni Mafumo, Founder - Kusini Water

What Kusini Water does well, he says, is collaborate with the local community, which includes tribal government and unemployed youth.

"These systems should be as easy as possible to maintain... to ensure that the projects run over a long period of time. We have big companies that partner with us - if you go back to all of our projects they're still running and the secret ingredient is local participation."

Murendeni Mafumo, Founder - Kusini Water

Mafumo is careful not to blame government alone for South Africa's water crisis.

He believes collaboration with the social sector is an effective way to solve the problems the country faces.

"I wouldn't necessarily say the government has failed in its role, as we try to recover from the systems of the past.  I think it is trying, but in various provinces there are so many schools just trying to get by, and collaboration with the social sector can be an effective option."

Murendeni Mafumo, Founder - Kusini Water

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