Students at the University of Cape Town have developed a water security solution that they hope will give the poor and vulnerable in South Africa "grace" in the form of better, easier access to sanitation.

As part of the requirements of the Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship, students had to develop a business that would empower the 4 million unemployed South African youth to improve their lives in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way.

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Byron Cranswick, completing the diploma this year, told Fin24 that his classmates took a while to find an idea that would fit the brief.

"We thought out the box and considered our surroundings and landed on the problem of water – a basic need that is inadequately addressed across the globe - [and asked] how we could make a difference in society for the lives of millions of South Africans who struggle with water security every day," said Cranswick.

At first, the team of five, which established the holding company Üna, considered a communal water filtration system. But over time and through various iterations, they decided that a water pump would be the best option.

It wasn't that simple. None of the students has an engineering background or an understanding of how water filtration systems work. But through their networking skills, they got help from water treatment company NuWater, which is based in Muizenberg in the Western Cape.

NuWater assisted with funding and providing the necessary connections within the industry for the team to manufacture the pump.

The pump was manufactured and assembled in China before being shipped back to South Africa. "We are thinking of refining the design as we go forward, also try to localise some of the manufacturing and assembly," Cranswick explained.

The water pump works like a hand-held air pump, but creates suction and passes water through ultra-filtration membranes. The technology restrains bacteria, viruses, cysts and sediments. The water can be reused for washing clothes, body, dishes and watering vegetables and herbs, but is not meant for drinking.

Although small and portable, the pump can filter large quantities of water at a time. It can produce 350 litres of reusable water within an hour, Cranswick explained. The product is still being refined, but the feedback on it so far has been complimentary, said Cranswick.

"We are still looking to optimise the pump's functions to ensure it is user-friendly and as robust as possible," the student added.

Right now, they're focusing on refining the business model and will also look to reduce the unit cost. For five units, the cost is around R3 600 per unit. But if they scale the units to about 5 000, the cost will come down to as low as R2 000 per unit.

"The business model is still a work in progress, but we have a rental monthly instalment plan in mind that consumers can use," said Cranswick. Their customers would rent the unit over 24 months, at the cost of between R250 and R300 per month – which includes maintenance. After that they will own the pump, and the only additional costs will be the servicing and any unexpected breakage repairs or replacements.

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The students hope to rollout their product in informal and rural settlements.

"We found that people who do not have access to water infrastructure would spend a large portion of their time and energy collecting water - a basic need. Therefore, Grace's intended function is to reduce this wastage and, instead, allow them to participate in more constructive endeavours, which may provide them with the opportunity to improve their lives and exit the poverty cycle," Cranswick said.

The product quite literally gives people "grace", making it easier to escape the poverty cycle by removing at least one obstacle. "The whole idea is to provide people with more consistent access to water, to help uplift their lives out of the poverty cycle," he stressed.

The product will also provide employment opportunities through service stations – established in communities – with sales agents and those who provide repairs. Additionally, the units themselves can be used by micro-entrepreneurs such as butchers, clothes and car washers, among others, within the communities.

The students could only afford to import five units from China. Cranswick admitted that fundraising is difficult. At the start of the year, they held online raffles and events to raise cash and only eked out R35 000 for the starting phase of the product. Cranswick said that NuWater contributed substantially to the product's funding, which made it possible to present it at the Genesis Expo, hosted at UCT earlier this month.

The expo allowed the students of the postgraduate diploma to showcase their innovations and network with potential investors.

Cranswick said the product was tested out – and people got to use the pump and see how soapy water gets converted to reusable water.

He shared that the success so far has been a team effort and everyone has brought value to the table.

"Going forward, we would require substantial investment. The startup capital is quite intensive as our business model relies quite heavily on it."

Whether they get the funding needed will also impact on whether he and some of his classmates continue with the business after graduation.

"I myself would like to continue Grace. I love the whole purpose behind it," he said.

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