Masuku — providing water to rural people

Enacy Mapakame

Business Reporter

Some communities in Zimbabwe and many other developing countries face challenges in accessing clean water.

It has been observed that poor access to water for household consumption perpetrates gender inequalities that are prevalent in most developing countries where women and girls spend time queuing for it or walk long distances to fetch it for household uses, therefore, limiting their time for education.

It is this state of affairs that inspired Violet Masuku, to abandon air ticketing and venture into the cut-throat borehole drilling industry.

Her personal experiences each time she visited her grandmother in Mberengwa where she would walk with other girls and women for a long distance to fetch water from the dam, were an eye opener.

Born and bred in Bulawayo, Mrs Masuku vowed to make a difference in the lives of women to allow them access to portable, clean and safe water.

In 2016, Delcor Drilling was born with a special assignment.

“I want water to be an easy and accessible resources to rural communities, especially to women and girls who have to walk long distances just to get a bucket of water, disturbing their learning programme,” said Mrs Masuku.

Explaining her personal experience, she said: “Each time I visited my grandmother in the rural areas of Mberengwa going to fetch just that bucket of water from the dam was not easy for me.”

The journey has not been a bed of roses for Delcor Drilling.

Like any other local businesses, inflationary pressures and limited access to foreign currency for retooling have been a challenge and for a growing company, the problems cannot be overlooked especially the intense competition from already established brands.

Additionally, the recurrent dry spells that are experienced in the region means water levels become deeper, although demand for services increase.

On the other hand, poor road networks add to the host of challenges. However, Mrs Masuku understands that there has to be a solution for every challenge faced, if Delcor Drilling is to survive the high competition in the industry.

“But after crying, a solution has to be reached so I decided to take each challenge as an adventure and gaining more experience. Drilling is for those with an iron heart, dealing with the ground is not easy.

“However, making our clients happy by drilling and finding water despite meeting different soil formations demanding different skills makes our job enjoyable.

In the next five years, the Bulawayo-based Delcor Drilling is forecast to venture into other cities in the country and beyond borders while contributing towards employment creation and the general well-being of communities.

While their market is still growing, partnering big  organisations and NGOs  such as Unicef, World Vision, German Agro and mines in water and sanitation programmes will be a huge stepping stone for Delcor.

Last year, Mrs Masuku was one of the inaugural cohort of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) grantees.

The programme entailed business management skills, financial management and marketing among other modules essential in running businesses.

The grant, a US$25 000 was a boost for Delcor Drilling.

“I would like to thank AWE, US Embassy and USADF for supporting women like me. I pray that as they have helped me to grow, I will also empower other women too,” said Mrs Masuku.