Shoprite and Checkers Now Offer Purified Water for Only R1 Per Litre
South Africa continues to grapple with water shortages due to shifting weather patterns, infrastructure challenges, and prolonged droughts. To help ease the burden on consumers, Shoprite and Checkers have introduced purified water at just R1 per litre in most of their supermarkets.
"We understand the significant challenges our customers and communities face during water supply disruptions, which is why we've taken steps to ensure access to affordable, purified water," says Sanjeev Raghubir, chief sustainability officer at the Shoprite Group.
Most stores are now equipped with large backup water tanks, capable of sustaining operations for three to six days in case of supply interruptions. When needed, water is sourced in bulk to maintain availability. The purification process involves reverse osmosis, with regular on-site and independent laboratory testing to guarantee safe consumption.
Water is purified through a reverse osmosis process and regularly tested onsite, as well as subjected to independent laboratory analysis, to ensure its safety for consumption.
Other water security efforts include a percentage of proceeds from the sale of 500ml and 1.5L Eastern Highlands bottled water sold in all Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets nationally is donated to the Act for Change Water Fund to assist with water relief efforts in communities where it is needed most.
In addition, the retailer is increasing the availability of clean drinking water in rural communities by providing PlayPumps – merry-go-rounds that pump drinking water as children play on the equipment – to 53 sites across South Africa, which benefits more than 18,000 people.
The Shoprite Group has a long history of reaching out and assisting local communities that have been left without water, including transporting water to drought-stricken KwaZulu-Natal towns such as Ulundi, Vryheid, Harding and iXopo in 2016, providing relief during the Johannesburg hospital water crisis in 2021, and donating thousands of litres of bottled water to various Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in 2024.
Supplied by: The Shoprite Group.
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