In May 2018, The Newspaper reported that South Africa's first solar powered desalination plant was due to start operating at Witsand in Hessequa Municipality, Western Cape, by late October 2018. The reverse osmosis unit, based on OSMOSUN technology from Mascara Renewable Water of France and supplied locally by TWS-Turnkey Water Solutions, was designed to deliver 100 m³/day from solar power alone without batteries, and 300 m³/day with grid power during the December holiday peak. Funding came from the Western Cape Government's drought relief fund and the French Treasury.
The report showed that small battery-free solar desalination was being planned in South Africa in 2018 for coastal villages with a structural water deficit, backed by provincial drought funding and French support.
Source: The Newspaper