Along with installing the push taps, Sunlight has also initiated a door-to-door campaign within the township, communicating and educating residents on the importance of saving water.
“There is an urgent need to work with communities such as Tembisa that have a number of dripping and leaking pipes, as this leads to unnecessary water wastage,” said Caroline Blumrick, brand manager of Sunlight.
“When we embarked on this project, we decided it would be ideal to work with the locals within the community and, therefore, hired skilled plumbers who reside in Tembisa to help install the 250 push taps. In addition to decreasing the amount of water wastage within Tembisa, we wanted to help create jobs for the residents of Tembisa,” adds Blumrick.
Charles Semosa, one of the plumbers who has been employed by Sunlight to install the taps, has been a plumber for both large and small businesses since 1999 and currently works as an independent contractor in the area. Semosa has worked on projects such as the RDP housing project in the Winnie Mandela section in Tembisa and explained that the Sunlight water-saving project is a great opportunity for him to grow his own business while making a difference in the lives of the people within his community.
Another plumber, Tshepo Rapelo, who is currently unemployed, learned how to be a plumber in 2014 and obtained his certificate in plumbing last year. “I am so happy to be involved in this project as this is experience that I can add to my CV. This job has also given me an income that will assist me and my family,” said Rapelo.
“The plumbers from the Tembisa community are extremely hardworking and have a can-do attitude. In addition to being highly skilled, they are as excited as we are to be working on the tap installations in Tembisa,” said Blumrick.
“We hope that this initiative will create awareness around preserving our most important resource and will educate communities to save water,” she concluded.
Details: www.sunlight.co.za
