The Shoprite Group already supports 34 PlayPumps, which bring clean water to approximately 350 000 to 400 000 people across South Africa on a daily basis.

Last week it funded the installation of another two new PlayPumps at the Get Ahead Project in Queenstown and the Amaqwathi Primary School in Tsolwana, both of which did not have access to water until very recently.

A PlayPump is a specifically designed “merry-go-round” that pumps water into a reservoir as the children play on it, providing a healthy water supply to rural communities and providing children with a constructive way to use their energy.

It also means community members no longer have to walk long distances to fetch water, and there are fewer incidences of water-borne diseases which keep learners away from school, affecting their education.

The Shoprite Group has a long history of reaching out to communities when impacted by disaster and has been supporting PlayPumps since 2002.

The addition of two new PlayPumps form part of the Group’s ongoing efforts to assist local communities affected by water shortages.