Water Rhapsody’s second franchise in Mpumalanga was opened this month with the brotherly team of Alistair and Terry Haig. Based in White River, Alistair carefully conducted market research in the Mpumalanga area prior to signing the Mpumalanga franchise. He will be responsible for the marketing and management, while Terry will put his technical skills to good use and will be responsible for all the Water Rhapsody installations. Both Terry and Alistair have a history steeped in conservation and care for the planet, and this together with their integrity and business flair create a sound platform to build a satisfied customer base. Alistair also secured a second franchise for the Limpopo area for a possible launch later in the year. The team’s website is www.rainharvest.co.za

Described by some as a “sunrise industry”, water conservation is fast catching on in all areas of southern Africa as individuas and companies realise that the demand for water is fast outpacing the decreasing supply. With the rolling out of its franchise model, Water Rhapsody is experiencing a sharp increase in demand for its water conservation systems. There seems to be an urgency whereby people wish to get off the grid and harvest their own rainwater. They have seen what has happened to energy in this country with Eskom being unable to supply sufficient power and having to increase tarrifs by staggering amounts. Economists have warned that the looming crisis in water will make the energy problems seem nothing in comparison to water issues.
Sales of Water Rhapsody greywater systems have rocketed as homeowners seek to water their gardens with filtered greywater that used to go down the bath or shower plug.
Water Rhapsody now have 15 dealers who all own their own franchises, located in most of the provinces around South Africa. Says Charles Bryant ” From the beginning of 2010, we have been inundated with demand from would be ecopreneurs looking to own their own businesses in this green industry” Water Rhapsody expect to more than double the number of franchises this year alone, with particular emphasis in Gauteng. The industry is in its infancy, but is truly an industry whose time has come.

Water Rhapsody opened it’s doors in Mossel Bay with our brand new franchisee Werner Neuhoff. Werner holds the franchise in the drought stricken area from Mossel Bay to the Wilderness, including George. By the first week end of business, Werner called for more stock of Water Rhapsody conservation systems as he had already sold out his first consignment – such was the demand in this dry area of South Africa’s beautiful Garden Route.

A born ecopreneur, Werner records this bio on his Water Rhapsody website:

About Werner Neuhoff – I grew up in a small town called Kakamas (Northern Cape, South Africa). I’ve been in a fortunate position to travel outside of South Africa and spend a good few years getting to grips with the United Kingdom.

During my time in the UK, I worked for a number of international companies. I ended up becoming a Buyer for Asda, which is the UK arm of the Worlds Nr1 retail giant, Wal-Mart. This is really where I got a really good understanding of business and how any business is about, the customers, the product and the passion you have for what you do.

After the UK weather finally got the better of me, I returned to South Africa and started a car wash business in Mossel Bay. Did I have a passion to wash a car? We’ll, I can’t exactly say I had a passion to wash cars, but I have a passion to make sure that when you pay to have your car washed, it should be done fast, to the best standard and to ensure you enjoy your car wash experience.

In July 2009 I wanted to install a system at the car wash that would allow me to re-use some of the water that are still good to re-use a 2nd / 3rd time. It really didn’t make sense that we drew Municipal water, to rinse a car, before we apply soap and then rinse again with municipal water. I ended up getting in touch with the Water Rhapsody Head Office and that’s really where it all started.

I was so impressed by the systems, instead of just buying a grey water re-use system for the car wash, I ended up buying the Franchise for the area. Jeremy Taylor (Founder of Water Rhapsody) has been perfecting these system with, over 15 years of dedication & 3000 installations, which included – Cabinet Ministers, University of Cape Town, Old Mutual and the list could go on.

I’m not easily impressed ( my better half Liz, Wilna @ FNB and plenty of people that know me will tell you that!) What I really didn’t expect, is how quickly I was going to develop a passion for the business. I honestly believe this is one of the best inventions I’ve came across, in a very, very long time. Yes fair enough, Bill Gates and Richard Branson has got some excellent innovation, but without water, any company / household would find it impossible to survive.

To me, this is not just a business, this is something I’m doing to ensure we all have water in the years to come. You don’t have to change you lifestyle. Rain water belongs to all of us, it’s there for us to use. The same accounts for grey water. You’ve paid for it, so instead of sending it down the drain, you can re-use that water for irrigation purposes. By installing a grey water system (Garden Rhapsody) at your home, the need to use municipal water for irrigation purposed, are reduced to 2% chance.

Our products are pretty self explanatory. The basis of water conservation is that you match the quality of the water to the use. Municipal water to drink, rain water for showering etc. and grey water for irrigation. The role of grey water for irrigation is also the fact that it removes this water from the sewerage treatment streams allowing them to cope with just treating black water.

South Africa is approaching Physical Scarcity in water. If we don’t change the way we conserve our water, we could we’ll be forced to leave South Africa. I don’t think anyone can determine the impact this will have on the world. You only have to think about our Produce industry. On a daily basis, South Africa export tons of fresh fruit & vegetables world wide.

The cost of filtering sea water for commercial / household purposes, are estimated at R30 per litre. This is 4 times more expensive than the current price of petrol here. On average, we use 240l of water per person per day. Should we be forced to go down this route, we will end up paying R7,200 per person / per day, just for water.

I know what I’d rather do…..