Manzi Water joins South Africa’s first automated refill store for clean water access

Manzi Water, a South African beverage company, has teamed up with tech start-up Sonke Retail to launch the country’s first fully automated refill store at Chuma Mall in Diepsloot. The collaboration aims to transform how underserved communities access clean drinking water and other essential goods.

The Skubu store has introduced a smart, automated refill machine, allowing customers to buy what they need at fixed rand-per-liter prices while eliminating single-use plastic. This model offers up to 50% savings compared to traditional retail, making essentials more affordable.

Manzi Water offers clean drinking water at ZAR1.00 (US$0.05) per liter at the refill store, aiming to make safe and affordable drinking water accessible to all.

Alfred Challis, CEO of Manzi Water, tells Packaging Insights: “Water refilling is rapidly gaining traction, particularly in underserved communities. At Manzi Water, we operate over 100 outlets across South Africa. The introduction of our new Automated Manzi Water Refill Stations marks an important next step to enhance both reach and convenience.”

Affordable water for all

Manzi Water harnesses IoT-powered refill technology, reducing the price of water by 50% compared to bottled solutions.

Alfred Challis, CEO of Manzi Water.“This model reduces cost and environmental impact and improves accessibility in communities that need it most. Introducing automation to a community-facing water solution required bridging digital familiarity, trust, and price sensitivity,” shares Challis.

“In partnership with Sonke Retail, we prioritized accessibility over complexity, ensuring our Automated Manzi Water Refill Stations are intuitive and consistently deliver SANS 241–compliant drinking water. This tech-led yet human-centered model was designed not just for innovation’s sake, but to tangibly improve water security and health outcomes.”

The refill store is part of the Skubu Project, led by Sonke Retail in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, and is supported by the Circular Economy Demonstration Fund. It also benefits from the global partnership Transform, which includes Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Ernst & Young.

Manzi Water anticipates that the Skubu Project will serve as a scalable model for sustainable development across South Africa, opening future possibilities for all licensees across the network.

“We are excited to see the positive impact this will have in Diepsloot. And we see significant potential to scale this model across our growing network,” concludes Challis.