09 Jun 2020

Most business people indicate that for a business to success, it has to answer an identified problem within a society.

That is the very concept that Hydrate Still Water, a youth-owned business that purifies and sells water in Jwaneng, leverages its life on. Its owner, 29-year-old, Mr Tumo Seleka said when he came to Jwaneng, he noted that the potable water was saline and bacteria infested.

“That was the problem I identified, and I had the solution for it. To purify and sell potable water. That’s how most successful entrepreneurs succeed, they establish a business that answers people’s needs,” he said.

Mr Seleka said he started his business in March last year, but only started operating four months later as he struggled with space that he later had to tailor to his needs. He said that even though his business was still relatively new, he was already satisfied that he was solving the problem of saline water in Jwaneng.

“The most satisfying feeling for an entrepreneur is to see your clients happy. So far the taste of our water has been well received by our clients who had all along been used to saline water,” he said.

He said they mostly traded in refills for individual members of the public while companies preferred bottled water, and that they had also added ice to their products. He said among their many clients in Jwaneng were companies such as Puma Filling Station, Mega Mining, Cresta Hotel and Galaxy Club among others.

Mr Seleka said when most companies were closed due to the national lockdown, they survived through individual clients who did refills. Like any business, his is not without challenges, including lack of space among others.

He said the space they operated from was congested and did not allow for expansion, but pointed out that their current production capacity was enough to supply the whole township.

“At the moment, our production capacity is 5 000 litres of water per hour, which means that in 24 hours we can purify 120 000 litres. We are confident that we can quench the thirst of the whole town if given a chance,” he said.

Mr Seleka also said the other major challenge they faced was production costs because Jwaneng, as a mining town, was expensive. He said despite the small space, rental was too high while raw material such as bottles were imported, which translated to high costs of the final product.

As a solution, he said he was planning to procure his own bottle moulding machine as a cost cutting measure.

“In that way, we will be able to compete with companies that do business from Gaborone that have low production costs because of their periphery to South Africa, where bottles are procured,” he said.

Mr Seleka also said that a permanent solution to the challenge of high cost of production would be a piece of land where he could drill his own borehole, install solar electricity and construct his own facility.

“This will ensure we cut down on buying hard water, paying rent and electricity, and this will drastically cut down on our production costs. Then we will be able to sell our water at a much cheaper price,” he said.

Like any determined entrepreneur, Mr Seleka said he also has a thirst to expand his business, and that his aim was to first dominate the Jwaneng market, then spill over to Kanye, Ghanzi, Kasane and Livingstone in Zambia, as he has already identified opportunities there.

He said his objective of selling in Zambia emanates from his belief that Botswana businesses should not just target the local market, but also try their luck in exporting.

In an era where most youth owned businesses often collapse at the first hurdle, Mr Seleka prides himself in that his business’s graph keeps moving up.

Self-funded with a start-up capital of about P350 000, he said that so far he has seven employees, all youth, with the oldest being 30-years-old.

He said should he get a piece of land to realise his dream, he was confident that his business would be able to create employment for many more youth, especially that he has also incorporated custom-branded bottled water for companies as well as private events like weddings.

He said most samples were available on their Facebook page, Hydrate Still Water. Ends