Swimmer reaches 2,000 mark for water 'hippo rollers' to remote villages

A long-distance swimmer who has braved some of the coldest water on the planet achieved a rare milestone on land at the weekend. 

On Sunday 450 "hippo roller" water containers were distributed to the Eastern Cape village of Tshani, taking Andrew Chin's total container roll-out at several remote villages across South Africa to more than 2,000 units.

The mobile containers – they can be rolled along the ground – allow users to more easily access, transport and store water, alleviating water scarcity in areas affected by service delivery challenges.  

The hippo rollers are sponsored by various charitable donors, notably an anonymous philanthropist from Europe who avoids the spotlight.

Chin administers the programme along with other volunteers from a non-profit called Swim For Rivers which was founded to raise awareness about water pollution. But the swimmers soon changed focus to water scarcity upon realising how many rural communities lack access to potable water, often relying on dirty river water for basic needs.  

“We realised that the rivers are dirty but there are people who don’t have access to clean or dirty water, and must spend hours collecting water,” Chin told TimesLIVE Premium from Tshani village on Sunday. “Thousands of babies die from drinking dirty water. And so Swim for Rivers evolved around providing mechanisms for transporting water and providing clean water if we can as well.” 

“I feel that rural communities are neglected and they often don’t have a voice.” 

In addition to providing the hippo rollers, the team also sponsors well-points and boreholes. Sunday's donation represented about R950,000. 

Mdumbi community leaders welcomed Sunday's handover, the second of two hippo roller tranches. “We are happy today — this means a lot to the community,” said Gladys Sigcau.  “People here live far from taps, and sometimes the taps don't give water, so people must go to the river.” 

Chin hopes to expand his charitable programme to reach more water-scarce communities. Donations are tax deductible and companies donating to his cause receive the necessary certificates for submission. 

“It's an ongoing thing — we seriously are just touching the tip of an iceberg,” Chin said. “Every single village in the Eastern Cape where we have been operating can use our services, and the only thing preventing us doing more is access to funding.

“Nobody gets paid a salary. Everyone who is involved donates their time. There are a lot of people behind the scenes that make it possible.”

Chin is well known in endurance swimming. He is the former chairperson of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association, and has braved chilly waters right across the world. Anyone able to contribute to the cause can reach him via email.