Anza Muntswu, a chemist and founder of GreenZA, has placed second in the uMngeni-uThukela Water GIBS Route-to-Market Challenge 2025. The Limpopo-based startup offers a range of solutions aimed at tackling water pollution.
At the heart of GreenZA is Muntswu’s passion for his community. “If you’re not treating water to the right standard,” he says, “you’re killing your own community. You can’t create jobs. Look at the agricultural space. Water needs to be treated before it touches fruit or meat. And tourism needs water to run hotels.”
GreenZA tackles this problem by supplying water treatment chemicals and lab equipment to commercial customers, such as power generation plants. They also offer a 360-degree water consulting service, from sample analysis to treatment recommendations.
The business also targets contamination at its source by running outreach programs and establishing recycling systems at schools and malls. They collect that waste and sell it to recycling plants.
Looking ahead, Muntswu hopes to establish a single site combining a lab, water treatment facility and recycling plant.
“Anza is very knowledgeable and he’s got huge potential within the sector,” says Nhlanhla Zama of uMngeni-uThukela Water, the competition’s corporate partner. “In our conversations, we’ve encouraged him to have a more focused approach.”
The Route-to-Market Challenge identifies high-potential, early-stage businesses and empowers them to bring their ideas to market. As a finalist, Muntswu has received business training from The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and entrepreneurship specialists Raizcorp.
Finalists also earn the opportunity to present and discuss their businesses with decision-makers from a leading organisation in their industry. In the water category, that organisation is uMngeni-uThukela Water, the largest bulk potable water supplier in KwaZulu Natal.
“The challenge has been an amazing opportunity to find new partners and build a trusted reputation,” says Muntswu. “I think it will be the ladder to my destination.”
