In December 2018, SABC News reported that the first desalination plant in South Africa to run on solar energy alone had been completed in the coastal town of Witsand, close to Riversdale. The project was a joint effort of the Western Cape provincial government and the French government. Witsand was among several small towns in the region hit by drought. Using 73 kilowatts of power and no batteries, the plant was to produce 100 m³ of drinking water per day from seawater.
The report showed how small coastal towns in drought-stricken regions were already turning to small-scale, battery-free solar desalination in 2018 to secure their drinking water supply.
Source: SABC News