The future of water lies in the hands of the future generations, and leading the way are twins from KwaZulu-Natal.

Sanelisiwe and Sandisiwe Nhlozi from Buhlebemfundo Secondary School, beat eight other student teams during the South African Junior Water Prize (SAJWP) competition, with their water awareness campaign, titled “Drop Drop”. They will be traveling to Sweden in August to compete against other global winners during the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SWJP) competition.

Xylem Africa has been supporting students taking part in the SJWP since 2022. The first SWJP was held in 1997. The competition invites students between 15 and 20 years old, from 35 countries, to enter water research projects that will help solve major water challenges.

The 15-year-old twins were announced as the South African winners on 7 June 2024, and each received R15 000, a laptop, a R10 000 allowance, bursaries and a first-place trophy.

The final contestants of the South African Junior Water Prize competition hosted at Xylem Africa’s head office.

The second place went to the team from Kimberley Technical High School and their fully automated drip irrigation system that can be used for various agricultural applications. The Middelburg Muslim School team’s acid rain purifying system took third place.

The finals were hosted at Xylem Africa’s head offices in Kempton Park in partnership with the Department of Water and Sanitation. This competition resonates with Xylem Africa’s focus to help the next generation of thinkers, leaders and innovators.

The competing teams presented their projects to a panel of judges before touring Xylem Africa’s facilities and seeing first-hand how Xylem promotes smart water management. The student teams also engaged with Xylem’s subject-matter experts to learn about the various careers in the water sector.

“South Africa might enjoy regular rainfall, yet we are a dry country with many regions under water pressure,” says Chetan Mistry, Xylem Africa’s Strategy and Marketing Manager.

“Rapid urban and industry growth, mining, and agriculture are also adding substantial pressure to our water ecosystems, and our rural areas still struggle to enjoy reliable access to potable water. South Africa is a resource-rich country, but we do not do enough to protect our most precious resource, water. Fortunately, many people are, including these students. Supporting South Africa’s chapter of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize allows us to amplify their efforts and ambitions. We are very proud of these students and if we could, we would declare all of them as winners!”

The next stop for the twins is Stokholm, Sweden from 24 to 29 August. The 2024 SWJP winners will receive their awards from Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Victoria on 27 August.

In 2003, Claire Reid became the first South African to win the prize, demonstrating an innovative technique for planting and germinating seeds in water-scarce areas. Then Pontso Moletsane, Motebele Moshodi, and Sechaba Ramabenyane won in 2005 by showing how to minimise water in small-scale irrigation with an electric soil humidity sensor.