Bottled water for R1.50 / litre

With the Western Cape dam levels at a reported 23.7%, according to the City of Cape Town. With complaints around the taste odour colour and quality of the tap water, people are increasingly looking at other options. One such option is the refill initiative that is being run by select Spar stores nationwide.

Refill your water with Spar 

While this initiative is not a Spar driven initiative as “each Spar store is individually owned and every retailer has the choice to take the initiative to put this into their stores or not,” explained Spar, this has become quite popular.

Selling for R1.50 per litre (subject to change), select Spar’s have partnered with external water purification companies like Eish2o  who provide the refill service. Customers are thus allowed to bring in any quantity bottle and have it filled.

Eish2o

“Eish2o produces good, healthy and clean water by purifying using a process called reverse osmosis. This process removes unwanted bacteria and hard minerals that your system cannot use,” stated the purification company.  

Another option that people are considering, in addition to the potentially expensive venture of buying and installing of water purification systems and filters, is the use of activated charcoal.

“The superior adsorption qualities of activated charcoal make it a popular choice for water filters. These filters are typical in the homes of people who prefer the taste and health benefits of drinking pure, contaminant-free water. When the water passes through the charcoal filter, the impurities are caught in the charcoal's deep pores, trapping them there until the filter is replaced,” stated ActivatedCharcoal.com.

The City of Cape Town, however, has assured citizens that despite complaints regarding the quality of tap water, it is still safe to consume.

Consumers are advised to contact their local supermarket branches in order to enquire about the refill service.

*Eish2o was contacted but failed to comment before the time of publication.

For further reading:

How to save water during water restrictions

Is Cape Town’s water safe to drink?