Local innovators take a dip in the "shark-tank" to pitch water-saving ideas

The judges included Lance Greyling (City of Cape Town), Gregg Brill (Western Cape Government), Cecelia Kok (Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF)), Helmut Hertzog (Sarebi) and Claire Pengelly (GreenCape).

The innovations presented highlighted one of the positive consequences of the water crisis - that it has catalysed incredible innovation within the water tech sector. Presentations included concepts like a wave energy reverse osmosis pump for potable water production, a closed-looped water-recycling and saving solution for new and retrofit shower installations using limited water, a low-cost water saving tap nozzle, and a water filtration product for decentralised water treatment and reuse in rural areas and pool-sites.

LiquidGold Africa takes top prize

The event winner was LiquidGold Africa, a company that has developed a waterless sanitation and waste capturing system for conversion to bio-fertiliser use in agriculture. "We’ve already won awards overseas for our concept but we were amazed by the level of competition we faced today. It is incredible to see the innovation that is taking place locally. This platform has allowed us to engage with challenges head on and create solutions that have application on a global scale,” said Orion Herman, CEO and founder of LiquidGold Africa.

Building resilience to water scarcity

“We have witnessed the crucial need to identify existing and new water-related products and technologies throughout our drought business support service at GreenCape. Our engagements have led us to discover numerous innovations with proven capabilities and functionalities and the potential to build resilience to water scarcity in South Africa and other drought-impacted areas of the world," said Adila Cassim, water analyst at GreenCape. "As a result, the Innovations for Water Resilience initiative was created in partnership between GreenCape and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation as part of our dual commitment to ensure water systems sustainability through water entrepreneurship."

“There is a real need for innovators in this space,” said Cecelia Kok, FNF’s head of research and advocacy projects in South Africa. “Our partnership with GreenCape is about promoting the development of water entrepreneurs, to help ensure economic sustainability despite water scarcities and droughts in South Africa.” Kok adds that “startups and innovators often struggle to find support to develop their products, to find markets and to grow their business. In this ’new normal’ of water scarcity, we need more initiatives like these to help innovators get their products to market quickly”.