2026/09/23 | TCSC News
Our Founder and Director, Lesley Mukwada, recently joined hosts Karine and Morgan on Inner Circle Stories, the podcast produced by TheRockGroup in collaboration with Sustainable and Inclusive Business. The series focuses on circular solutions and the move away from a linear economy toward a sustainable, inclusive future.
In a wide-ranging 30-minute conversation, Lesley spoke about how The Chemistry Solutions Company (TCSC) started, how our water testing kits are helping communities hold polluters and service providers accountable, and what comes next.
▶ Watch the full interview on YouTube
From a Lab Gap to a National Solution
TCSC’s story began inside a laboratory. While working as an environmental chemist at a startup focused on remediating mining water, Lesley needed a reliable in-house testing kit and couldn’t find the right one on the market.
“That got me wondering what’s happening with the rest of the country. In rural communities, do they have tools they can use to monitor their water quality? When I did my research, I couldn’t find anything.”
That gap led to the development of TCSC’s water testing kits. The kits went through several versions shaped by client feedback before becoming the products now on the market. They give users a full picture of their water quality: whether it is safe, whether it is harmful, and what to do about it. Today they are used by environmental companies, citizen science projects, individuals and rural communities.
Citizen Science That Holds Polluters Accountable
Lesley shared two examples of the kits in action:
- Students monitoring a Cape Town river. For the past two years, high school learners entering the science expo have used TCSC kits to monitor one of Cape Town’s main rivers as it passes through industrial areas. Their data identified specific contamination points and pointed clearly to potential polluters.
- A Western Cape town confronting its water provider. Residents of a small town tested their water with TCSC kits, and a detailed report from an accredited laboratory validated the results. Armed with that evidence, the community confronted their water service provider about bacterial contamination and demanded action.
“They do feel empowered, because they have a tool in their hands that addresses an issue they’re facing, and it gives them an opportunity to engage the council, the city and the people responsible for those areas to take the right actions.”
The Water Testing Warrior Programme
Testing alone is not enough, so TCSC pairs results with solutions. When a test finds bacteria or heavy metals, we provide a step-by-step treatment plan. For communities, we work through community leaders so that issues are escalated through the right channels, backed by evidence.
To extend this reach, TCSC launched the Water Testing Warrior Programme. It identifies communities with poor access to water testing and trains a local entrepreneur through a nine-module course covering basic water chemistry and entrepreneurship skills. Graduates then offer testing services and resell kits within their own communities. One Warrior is already operating in Pretoria.
The ambition is to train 100 entrepreneurs per province each year, which amounts to 900 annually across South Africa, with each one influencing and recruiting others in their community.
A Business Built on Paying Customers
Asked whether the model is viable, Lesley confirmed that most of TCSC’s revenue comes directly from paying customers. Grant funding complements that revenue, including recent support from Indalo Inclusive for a digital water utility tool developed in collaboration with UJ PEETS.
The tool turns water quality data into an actionable report. It also connects people on the ground with water service providers and decision-makers, so that problems such as leaks are reported and resolved faster than through traditional channels.
TCSC recently presented this solution to the Department of Water and Sanitation and is building towards a system that connects communities with all of the country’s water service providers.
“If you look at the scale of the problem across the country, there has to be a system that works for everybody, wherever they are.”
Who’s Testing, and What We’re Finding
In Cape Town, demand is growing among households switching to boreholes for pools and irrigation, who need to know what treatment their groundwater requires. Lesley noted with humour that almost 98% of the customers who contact TCSC are men, “but behind the 98% is usually a very concerned wife.” What unites these customers is a commitment to living green and sustainably.
The most common concerns TCSC encounters are:
- Microbial contamination, with E. coli and coliform bacteria as the key indicators
- Heavy metals, which vary by location and activity. One client studying water downstream of blueberry farms recorded rising heavy metal levels linked to agricultural chemicals.
Lesley also spoke candidly about the gap between compliance on paper and reality on the ground, particularly around acid mine drainage affecting drinking water sources. Independent, accessible testing helps close that gap by bringing transparency.
Looking Ahead
TCSC’s vision reaches beyond South Africa:
- Pan-African and global expansion to every country facing similar water challenges, building on a model that has proven scalable
- Expanding water treatment capacity alongside testing
- Stronger links between academia and the private sector, so that research is commercialised to solve real problems today rather than sitting on a shelf
Lesley closed with the principle that drives TCSC:
“It’s quite important to look at the problems and take action. You can’t just wait and say somebody else will solve that problem.”
Her motto: always act, solve the problem.
TCSC will also be featured in the upcoming Inner Circle Magazine.
Get Involved
- Test your water: Order a TCSC water testing kit or book laboratory testing.
- Become a Water Testing Warrior: Contact us if you’d like to bring water testing to your community.
- Partner with us: We welcome funders, water service providers and researchers who want to scale impact.
- Meet us in person: Visit the TCSC stand at the South Africa Local Circularity Summit & E-Waste Festival, V&A Waterfront Makers Landing, Cape Town, 12–13 October 2026.
📧 admin@thechemistrysolutionscompany.com | 📞 074 272 0227
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