Joburg’s water crisis just got more interesting. The city awarded a juicy R263 million contract to two companies, Nutinox and Builtpro Construction, to supply water tankers. But here’s the catch: the two companies are run by two 20-something guys from the Eastern Cape.
These two businesses, with a combined total of zero online presence (and questionable addresses), have been given the responsibility of supplying water to millions of Joburgers. Nutinox, for example, doesn’t even have a website and claims an address in Midrand’s fancy Waterfall Estate—where security guards hadn’t heard of them. When amaBhungane (a local investigative outfit) dug deeper, they found Nutinox listed as renting a home in Roodepoort. Not quite the thriving tanker business you’d expect.
Then there’s Builtpro, which also seems to be playing hide-and-seek. Their address? Oxford Road in Illovo, which is apparently old news, as Builtpro had already moved out. It’s all a bit dodgy, considering the two companies had previously shared a different address in Midrand and might even be connected.
Despite these red flags, Johannesburg Water proceeded to award the tender to the two, selecting them over 90 other companies. Why? They were the cheapest—thanks to some creative maths that favoured their emergency rates, even though the bulk of the water deliveries won’t be emergencies.
So, what does this mean for Joburg’s future? Well, these two fledgling companies now have to deliver water to millions during a severe drought. And while their promises to supply more than enough tankers might seem reassuring, the reality is that neither of them actually owns any tankers. They’ll likely rely on hiring them—adding yet another layer of complexity (and cost) to an already fraught situation.
Let’s hope these two young directors can pull through, or Joburg could be in even deeper trouble than we thought!