MAHMOOD SANGLAY AND YASEEN BARDIEN
Muslim Views and GroundUp collaborated in an exhaustive national investigation on Zamzam water sold in South Africa. Our probe involved lab tests, checking for compliance with labelling regulations and supply chain inquiries. The findings were startling.
Our key finding is that the chemical profile of Zamzam water sold in the Western Cape does not match that of the authentic Zamzam sourced from Saudi Arabia. In addition, labelling of Zamzam water in South Africa does not comply with legally enforceable labelling regulations.
The probe was initiated by the finding that the export of Zamzam from the Saudi kingdom is prohibited, according to several sources, including the Saudi Ministry of Media. Pilgrims are allowed to take one five-litre bottle each upon exit from the kingdom after Hajj or Umrah. However, this does not account for the abundance of Zamzam available for sale at exorbitant prices in South Africa.
A regular 500ml bottle of spring water, bearing a well-known brand, is available from Checkers at R10. By comparison a 500ml bottle of Zamzam typically costs between R50 to R55.
We purchased bottles labelled as Zamzam from random retailers in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. There were four from Gauteng, six from KZN and nine from the Western Cape. We also obtained authentic bottles of Zamzam from Saudi Arabia, independently from five different sources as a control. All the samples occurred in diverse bottle sizes and quantities, ranging from 120 ml to 5 litres.
Lab tests
A reputable local lab, accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), was approached to determine the chemical composition of the five control samples and their consistency with each other. The samples were tested for the amount (milligrams per litre) of chloride, sulphates, fluoride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.
The control sample test results show that their profile is consistent when compared to each other. This confirms that all five control samples are from the same source and may be regarded as authentic Zamzam water.
The next step was to determine the chemical composition of each of the 19 test samples. The results indicate that the KZN and Gauteng samples are remarkably consistent with those of the Saudi samples, and are plausibly from the same source. That is, the KZN and Gauteng samples may be regarded as authentic Zamzam water.
However, the lab analysis comparing bottled Zamzam water purchased in the Western Cape to authentic control samples from Saudi Arabia has revealed stark discrepancies in their chemical composition.
The authentic Zamzam samples displayed a consistent mineral profile with average levels such as 79.10 mg/L of chloride, 57.39 mg/L of sulphates, 64.18 mg/L of sodium, and 31.32 mg/L of potassium. In contrast, the Western Cape samples showed significantly altered values. Potassium levels dropped by more than 90%, with several samples registering less than 2 mg/L — far below the authentic benchmark. Sodium and chloride levels, on the other hand, were alarmingly elevated — in some cases nearly doubling the values found in genuine Zamzam. (See the graphic above)
These chemical inconsistencies raise serious questions about the authenticity of the water sold as Zamzam. While minor natural variations are to be expected in groundwater, the scale and consistency of these deviations across multiple samples point to a different water source altogether. To a layperson, the overwhelming evidence strongly suggests that the water sold in the Western Cape outlets is not genuine Zamzam.
What do the experts say?
We were not contented with a layperson analysis, hence we consulted several experts, both locally and abroad, to interpret our data. A group of Egyptian scholars, who published an academic paper recently on Zamzam water, after studying the lab test results, concluded that the Western Cape samples reveal ‘substantial deviations, suggesting that adulteration is prevalent in this region.’ Ismail Mahomed, a hydrogeologist in Gauteng, said, ‘The Western Cape samples are distinctly different from the confirmed Zamzam and other samples. The Western Cape samples have significantly higher sodium, chloride and lower potassium and fluoride levels.’ Mahomed believes the Western Cape bottles are likely sourced from local ground or spring water.
Another hydrogeologist, Aqeela Parker, concludes that the ‘analysis clearly indicates that the Western Cape samples are not Zamzam water.’ Dr Harris Steinman, the director of Food & Allergy Consulting & Testing Services (FACTS) said, ‘In this investigation, the mineral content of one group of water samples [in the Western Cape] were vastly different from the control group. Since these minerals cannot change over time or storage method, there can be no doubt that this group of waters is not from the same source.’ Currently, the true source of the Western Cape samples is unknown to us and may be subjected to further tests and investigation.
Non-compliant labelling
The labelling of all the locally bought Zamzam water bottles is not compliant with South African labelling and bottling regulations. This was confirmed by FACTS. Breaches included incorrectly naming the water, failure to state the sanitation method, omission of its chemical composition, omission of the physical address of the business and an inadequate description of the product.
In addition, QR codes on bottles were non-functional, rendering them unresponsive when scanned. Steinman said the lack of policing and enforcement results in some products slipping through the cracks. ‘Unfortunately, one cannot take any product claims at face value. It’s essential to consistently apply critical thinking when evaluating products,’ said Steinman.
‘Although South Africa has fairly decent regulations governing foodstuffs, the lack of effective policing and enforcement means that consumers must read labels carefully and push back when something seems problematic.’
Face-to-face with the Western Cape distributor
After probing the local supply chain we identified Khalid Helal, owner of Amiiraa in Gatesville, Cape Town as the Western Cape distributor of Zamzam water.
We met Helal, who acknowledged that the export of Zamzam from the Saudi kingdom is illegal. However, he concedes that he obtains his Zamzam stock from a supplier in the kingdom who operates above the law. This is apparently a grey-market oligarch, likely a member of the Saudi royal family, who, according to Helal, processes Zamzam at a plant other than the one at the official King Abdullah Water Project in Kudai, Makkah. This is where Zamzam is stored, purified, bottled and distributed to pilgrims. Helal attributes the variations in the composition of Zamzam to the different Zamzam treatment plants.
When asked repeatedly for the name of his supplier, Helal declined to disclose this information. According to Helal, the purer the water is, the higher the costs. He claims that he sells the ‘purest Zamzam’ in South Africa.
Helal provided his own lab report on the analysis of his water. However, his lab is not accredited and the results are devoid of context due to the absence of identified controls. His lab results also differed significantly from ours, provided by our accredited lab.
It is particularly noteworthy that the level of potassium detected in the Amiiraa samples, by Helal’s chosen lab, was at such extremely high levels—120mg/L—that it was flagged by the lab for exceeding the ‘recommended safe limit of 50 mg/L according to the SANS water quality standards.’
While potassium is essential and generally safe in drinking water for healthy individuals, this elevated level of potassium, according to the World Health Organisation, may pose serious health risks to vulnerable groups, including individuals with kidney disease, heart conditions, diabetes and hypertension.
Helal is unable to explain why our test results, from nine stores that he supplies in the Western Cape, including two from his own store in Gatesville, differ so significantly from the authentic Saudi Zamzam samples we tested. Nor is he able to explain why his samples, sent to a lab of his choice, yielded potassium levels so high (120mg/L) that it is hazardous to the health of vulnerable persons.
Several stores supplied by Amiiraa have since removed the bottled water labelled Zamzam from their shelves.
This investigation was produced by the Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project, a project of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation funded by the European Union. The article does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
