Pan-African telecom enabler Seacom is sending 10 000 litres of bottled water to Cape Town in support of a drive by the Gift of the Givers Foundation to alleviate the region's ongoing water crisis. The bottled water will support those most affected as ‘Day Zero' arrives and the city needs to switch off most of its piped water supplies.

Gift of the Givers, a disaster relief NPO, is collecting bottled water to ensure that distressed communities have access to clean water, even if the taps are turned off and they are unable to get to one of the water supply points. The intervention is aimed at assisting people such as the disabled, the elderly, and patients on chronic medication.

Gift of the Givers will distribute water to care facilities such as hospices, orphanages, clinics, schools, and hospitals as well as to rural areas outside Cape Town.

"The water crisis in the Western Cape is one of the most pressing issues we face in South Africa right now," says Steve van der Linde, CSO at Seacom. "We want to help ensure that the region is well-prepared should Day Zero arrive."