Drinking Water Project in the Community of Gumbi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Installation of sanitary facilities at two schools

At Vulemehlo Primary School and Myekemi Secondary School, the foundations for a total of ten dry toilets, five per school, were cast and the walls raised by April 2020. Due to the corona pandemic, work is currently suspended, but should be continued as soon as possible.

Work still outstanding

The installation of dry toilets and the completion of the toilet houses and the installation of two composting tanks to process the faeces produced in the toilets with the help of worms will significantly improve the sanitary situation at both schools.

Problem Description

The community of Gumbi has very poor access to reliable and clean drinking water from natural resources. Historically poor land management, the spread of foreign invasive plants and severe droughts in recent years have changed and degraded the land of the Gumbi community. People from the villages around Somkhanda Game Reserve are directly dependent on the reserve to pump water from wells into the communities in times of drought. This puts great pressure on the reserve to provide sufficient water for the wildlife and adversely affects the sustainability of the reserve as an employer of the local population in the tourism and safari industry.

Aims and measures of the project

The aim of the project is to supply the three villages of Zonyam, Cotland and Hlambanyati in the Gumbi community in the north of the Somkhanda Game Reserve with clean drinking water. A total of about 5,000 people live in the three villages, who will benefit from the measures. The repair of water reservoirs and the installation of water pipelines have positive effects, such as reducing the daily walking time to get water from centrally located and poorly maintained communal points. This also means that people who need water for agricultural purposes (growing vegetables and cereals) and for cooking basic foodstuffs (e.g. corn porridge) can now use healthy and clean water.

Another positive effect of the new water supply is the relief of the Somkhanda Game Reserve and its water sources. The water available here is now exclusively available to wild animals and direct residents.