FINAL
26.01.21
MEDIA STORY
CCPB provides relief water to drought-stricken areas in the Northern Cape.
In the past two weeks, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) has been part of a
humanitarian operation to bring relief to drought-stricken communities in parts of the
Northern Cape. Currently, the province is one of the worst hit by an ongoing drought that has led to the death of thousands of head of livestock – the primary source of income in the area. With the smallest population in the country at 1.2 million, the Northern Cape relies largely on groundwater. According to data from the Department of Water and Sanitation,
approximately 72% of the province’s towns rely on groundwater, 26% on surface water and
2% on a mixture of both. In support of the communities in the region, CCPB’s cross-functional teams responded immediately to the appeal for assistance from local authorities and were able to distribute bottled Relief Water and commission the use of the three water tankers that CCPB invested in during the drought of 2017/18.
“CCPB remains committed to playing its part in supporting the hydration needs in rural
communities where access to drinking water is limited and have, over the past two years,
responded to calls for assistance in water-stressed areas,” explains Priscilla Urquhart, Public
Affairs and Communications Manager for CCPB. The most recent appeal has seen CCPB teams distributing truckloads of bottled Relief Water to communities in Hondeklipbaai, Kammieskroon and Luiplek. In addition, over 1,2-million litres of water have been delivered to the Garies and Karkams districts in the Namaqua District Municipality with the deployment of the three CCPB water tankers. “The communities in the Kamiesberg are extremely grateful for the assistance that CCPB has provided,” says Veronica van Dyk, Constituency Head for Kamiesberg and the Deputy Shadow Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture. The Northern Cape, and specifically the Kamiesberg Municipal area, is a drought-stricken area, with below average rainfall in recent years. “This affects the water table levels. Weak and underdeveloped infrastructures do not help, with pipes bursting and municipalities struggling to do maintenance. All these elements contributed to communities suffering without water in various towns,” van Dyk explains.
She adds that even the hospitals and clinics have been rendered without water. “With the
second wave of Covid-19 and numbers on the rise in the Namaqua District, the need for
water is even more dire. Disadvantaged citizens also cannot afford sanitizers and rely solely
on water to wash their hands and adhere to the Covid-19 Health and Safety Guidelines.”
The water tankers will continue to support the local municipalities with a daily supply of
potable water over the coming weeks. The bottling company’s dedication to helping
communities is grounded in their purpose - refresh the world and make a difference.
“We commend our team members involved in this operation for their ongoing commitment
and for working tirelessly to help those that are most vulnerable especially during this
pandemic,” Urquhart adds.
With no respite to the drought in sight, Urquhart states that various solutions are being
explored to provide sustainable, long term relief efforts to communities in need. “We are
examining the infrastructure in the area as well as prospecting for new water sources to
ultimately find a long-term solution that will benefit our local communities.”
Ends/
Notes to editor:
About Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages
Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) is the local bottler and distributor of the The CocaCola Company in the Western and Northern Cape. Products and brands include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Stoney, Appletiser, Powerade, Bonaqua, PowerPlay and Monster amongst others. CCPB has been operational for 80 years, having first opened for business in 1940. Their stateof-the-art bottling facility is based in Parow Industria, with distribution centres in Athlone, Worcester and Koelbly.
For more information, visit www.peninsulabeverage.co.za.