Young Entrepreneur Needs Funds to Attend Bright Minds Conference

Robert Mabusela

Paseka Lesolang with the toilet he says can save a lot of water and lives.

Twenty-three-year old Paseka Lesolang from Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, could be taking his invention of a hygienic toilet system to the United States of America to represent South Africa at the Third Annual Unreasonable Institute. His participation in the event depends on him raising R80 000.

Lesolang is one of 25 young entrepreneurs who have been accepted into the Institute after 306 applications from 55 countries were received. He believes his toilet could save 288 billion litres of water annually if installed in a million houses. His invention came after realising the system installed in his township wastes water. “The toilet system was a dual flush system. When you flush with the half flush for a given period of time you flushed the whole tank and when you flushed with the full you automatically flushed the whole tank. Therefore the objective was good but the implementation wasn’t so good,” explains Paseka.

Power Cuts & 5 Kilometre Walks for Water - Life in Bushbuck Ridge

Zanele Ngwenyama

@zanelengwenyama

Last year I moved to my mother’s house in the rural areas of Bushbuck Ridge in Mpumalanga. I had just graduated with a National Diploma in Journalism and was leaving an internship at e-TV in Johannesburg. E-TV had offered to renew the contract but due to certain reasons I had to decline the offer – but that story is for another day. 

When I moved to Bushbuck Ridge I realised that it is quite normal for this part of South Africa to go without electricity for long periods without anyone raising the alarm. I have just gone through another 24 hours of going back to rural basics such as making fire outside in order for us to make meals. It’s been raining and as a result I can’t cook today. I often hear people from other families saying they sleep on empty stomachs when there is no power. Because we are not in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town or Pretoria – this story will not be making national headlines on any newspaper or broadcaster.