Every human being has a right to clean water. Knowing it’s safe shouldn’t be a privilege.
The Chemistry Solutions Company (TCSC) was founded in Cape Town in 2020 to make water testing routine, affordable and available to everyone — especially the vulnerable and marginalised communities who need it most and can least afford it.
Why we started
Across South Africa, millions of people drink from boreholes, tanks, rivers and ageing municipal networks without ever knowing what’s in their water. Laboratory testing has traditionally been slow, expensive and far from the communities that rely on these sources — so for most households, schools and small businesses, water testing simply didn’t happen.
TCSC set out to change that. Our belief is simple: water testing should be ordinary, not rare. If people can test their own water quickly, understand the result and know what to do next, they can protect their health, their crops, their livelihoods and their environment.
So we built a full chain of solutions around one question — is this water safe? — starting with rapid test kits anyone can use, and growing into laboratory services, treatment technologies and a digital platform that turns results into action.
Our mission
To make water testing solutions accessible and available to vulnerable and marginalised communities — so that safe water is something people can verify, not just hope for.
Our vision
To grow into a knowledge and solutions hub for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) — connecting testing, treatment, environmental protection and sustainability so communities can manage their water for the long term.
What we stand for
- Access — solutions priced and designed for real communities.
- Science you can trust — honest about what a kit can and can’t tell you.
- Action — every result should come with a next step.
- Local innovation — South African problems, South African solutions.
Meet our founder
Lesley Mukwada — Founder & Director
M.Sc. Polymer Science · Cand.Sci.Nat.
Lesley brings a multidisciplinary scientific background spanning polymer science, biochemistry, chemistry, food science and microbiology — the exact mix of disciplines that water quality demands. She founded TCSC to put that science to work where it matters most: in the hands of the people drinking the water.
Under her leadership, TCSC has grown from its first test kits in 2021 into a company spanning laboratory services, treatment technology development and digital tools. Lesley is TCSC’s spokesperson on water quality and regularly shares practical water-safety guidance through radio, exhibitions and community programmes.
Our journey so far
| 2020 | The Chemistry Solutions Company (Pty) Ltd is founded in Cape Town. |
| 2021 | Our first rapid water test kits are developed — the start of the TCSC Test Kit Range. |
| 2024 | Named second runner-up in the UNIDO Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) South Africa. |
| 2024–2025 | The Water App is developed with support from the University of Johannesburg’s PEETS programme; TCSC now owns the platform outright. |
| Growth stage | Selected for Cohort 2 of the IndaloGrow support programme under the South African Green and Inclusive Enterprise Awards (SiAGIA). |
| 2026 | The Water App launches as a live pilot; TCSC exhibits at Science Forum South Africa and the SA Local Circularity Summit, and hosts “Water Wednesdays” on StarFM. |
100+
environmental projects completed with our kits
25
parameters in a single 25-in-1 kit
10,000
kits per month production capacity
SANS 241
lab panels via an accredited reference laboratory
From test to treatment
Test
Rapid 21-in-1 and 25-in-1 water test kits, E. coli & coliform tests and the iH2OSpy™ field tester — developed in-house by TCSC.
Confirm
Laboratory testing across key SANS 241:2015 parameters, run in partnership with an accredited reference laboratory, with results in 5–10 working days.
Understand
The Water App turns kit readings and lab reports into plain-language results, treatment recommendations and a history of every test.
Treat
Water treatment technologies developed by TCSC, including BioRestore™ and AquaPure™, plus expert consultation on the right treatment for your source.
Building water champions
Access isn’t only about price — it’s about people. Alongside our products, we invest in the skills and enterprises that keep communities’ water safe:
- Water Warrior Project — free community water testing, bringing testing directly to the people who need it.
- Water Testing Warrior Programme — a 10-lesson course and starter business package that equips individuals to test water professionally and build their own water-testing business.
- ChemLaunch Youth Incubator — supporting young people to turn science into enterprise.
- Digital internship programme — hands-on experience building the digital tools behind TCSC.
Our ecosystem
We work within South Africa’s water and innovation ecosystem, including research, funding and development institutions such as the Water Research Commission (WRC), Mintek, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), the University of Johannesburg’s PEETS programme, the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), The Innovation Hub, the GEF Small Grants Programme, Conservation South Africa and Kusini Water.
Our kits are trusted by clients from households and schools to research institutions — Mintek uses our 21-in-1 kits for water quality screening.
Let’s make safe water verifiable — together.
Whether you’re a homeowner, a school, a municipality, a funder or a future water champion, we’d love to hear from you.
📞 074 272 0227 · ✉️ admin@thechemistrysolutionscompany.com
The Chemistry Solutions Company (Pty) Ltd · Reg. 2020/011869/07 · CSD MAAA0869755 · 36 Clifton Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7945
