Citizens punished for staff incompetence

Oh, Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo! - I'm referring to the Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale - how did you come up with the idea of punishing some citizens for the sins of the ANC's cadre deployment and public service incompetence?

In this context, even the Western Cape, which is not on the ANC's watch, is part of the problem.

That your government, at all three tiers, cannot manage the performance of its employees - with dire consequences for service delivery - is no fault of the citizens of this country.

The Department of Human Settlements announced this week that it had withdrawn the housing grants of two provinces which were slow in spending the funds allocated to the government's low-cost housing programme.

KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State forfeited a combined R463-million in grants because they had failed to meet their monthly targets. How many houses would this be? The number must run into thousands.

The funds were re-allocated to the Northern Cape and Limpopo, which have met their housing targets. Another portion was allocated to provinces for fixing low-cost houses which were defective owing to shoddy workmanship.

On one level, you may be tempted to applaud the ministry for re-allocating the budget to provinces that have proved to have the interests of their electorates at heart. In years past, the unused funds would have rolled over to the following financial year or would have been returned to national Treasury.

The decision by the department is commendable up to a point, since the money will be used for housing projects in other provinces. However, it is not the solution to the problem of a government administration that is filled with people who haven't a clue what they are doing or the will to provide basic social services to citizens.

A report released by the Treasury in November last year showed that, together with the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape had been among the under-performing provinces in the delivery of houses to the poor.

Halfway through the financial year, they had spent less than 35% of the money.

Ironically, the Free State had received R100-million from allocations that weren't spent by other provinces in the 2009/10 financial year, which makes me question the basis on which the re-allocation was made if it now turns out the province wasn't able to utilise the current budget.

The Northern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West had spent less than 45%.

Not a pretty picture all round for a country that has a housing backlog that is estimated to be in the millions.

Instead of imposing punitive measures on citizens - the people who will be adversely affected by the decision to withdraw the housing grants - couldn't the minister rather have insisted on competent staff being in place before the funds were released?

Where is the minister in charge of the performance and monitoring of public servants when you need him?

I'm no expert on these issues, but the key, surely, must be to have competent staff and proper performance-management systems.

If found wanting, staff should be fired.

I'm well aware that there is a process that needs to be followed before sacking an employee, but the announcement by the human settlements ministry must be accompanied by a remedial programme of action. It is not good enough to be told that the provinces which were identified as having problems in October last year weren't able to develop recovery plans to meet their targets.

What would be the point of the much-publicised service agreements between the president and his ministers and the entire chain of government servants, if they are not held to account for service delivery?

The MECs for housing in the provinces and the Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane, must explain what action will be taken now that it has become apparent that some of their employees are not performing their duties.

After all, Chabane did promise that there would be quarterly reviews, which would be used to monitor the performance of ministers and rectify the situation.

This practice, applicable in the private sector, must surely apply to everyone in the public sector as well.

But do politicians have the will to follow proper performance-management systems, which could put them at odds with comrades or whites who obtained sheltered employment in the public sector?

It is unfair for the communities of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to be denied roofs over their heads while inefficiency is allowed to reign in order to keep the political aspirations of ministers alive.

- Timeslive

Criminals take over state flats

CRIMINALS have invaded a government housing project after the Housing Development Agency stopped managing it.

Dozens of angry residents of the Joe Slovo Phase One flats in Langa, Cape Town, held a mass meeting on Monday night to complain that empty flats and clinic had been taken over by criminals.

The flats were built about four years ago as part of the government's aborted N2 Gateway Housing Project.

N2 Gateway Tenants Residents Committee chairperson Luthando Ndabambi told Sowetan this week that the agency had pulled out of managing the flats without giving any reason.

Ndabambi said criminals were taking advantage of the complex because it had been without security for the past seven months.

He said the government's failure to manage the flats had caused a tense situation.

"Now those calling themselves 'Cape borners' (Capetonians) are fighting those they call amagoduka (those from Eastern Cape descendants) as they claim that amagoduka should not get houses before them," Ndabambi said.

"That has forced us to volunteer guarding the complex and that creates a lot of enemies for us."

Residents at the meeting complained that the former agency office had been vandalised and the clinic divided up into rooms where new people now live.

Zalisile Mbali, the spokesperson for the provincial MEC for housing, said the province had not fired the security guards and that these were the responsibility of the agency .

Mbali added that MEC for housing Bonginkosi Madikizela had arranged a meeting with the community to resolve the problem.

Since 2007 the community has been calling for a decent management of the flats.

They nicknamed the project "Gateway to hell"

In 2007 they marched to Parliament to protest against the poor quality of their houses, where about 100 residents submitted grievances, including photographs of faults, to the Rental Housing Tribunal.

"There was also a problem in September 2006 that anybody's keys could open anyone else's flats," residents complained at the time.

- Sowetan

Four provinces may lose housing grants

Four provinces may lose housing grants because of under-performance that saw them fail to meet monthly delivery targets for low-cost housing, warns the Department of Human Settlements.

The department distributes around R14-billion a year to provinces for low-cost housing, but according to the director-general of human settlements, Thabane Zulu, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State are lagging on delivery.

"Four provinces -- Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Free State -- are lagging behind with delivery or are underspending and may have to forfeit a portion of their grant," Zulu said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The funds might have to be redirected to provinces where there is better performance."

The threat drew protest from the Western Cape, where the housing department said delivery had sped up dramatically in December.

Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale told parliament's portfolio committee on human settlements last November that a number of provinces were under-performing on housing delivery.

At the time, he said that the main reasons for this included a lack of capacity in provinces -- in particular, project management experience --and a lack of bulk infrastructure such as large-scale electricity and water supply projects.

All nine provinces were asked to provide the national department with "recovery plans" to demonstrate how they were going to meet their monthly and annual targets.

"In line with good governance and legislation, after having studied the delivery plans and consulted with the provinces, the minister is considering the practicality of transferring funds from provinces which are lagging behind to provinces where there are approved business plans in place," Zulu said.

"There have been detailed discussions with all the provinces and it is clear that serious challenges remain in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Free State. As a result, they may have to forfeit a portion of their annual human settlements grant."

A final decision on which provinces will forfeit funds, and how much will be transferred to other provinces, would be made soon.

"We are still in consultation, and the minister is applying his mind to the situation," Zulu said.

"A final decision will be made in the very near future."

The Western Cape department of human settlements said it was "unfortunate" that the national department had not waited for the December performance and expenditure figures, due on Friday, before issuing its statement.

"The picture has improved dramatically in the Western Cape since National Minister Tokyo Sexwale raised his concerns last November," it said in a statement.

The department disbursed R261-million or 131% of its target of R200-million in November, and R232-million or 101% of its R230-million target for December.

"This means that, despite only spending 64% of its target in October, the department disbursed 99% of its R620-million target for the third quarter.

"We have spent R1.25-billion, or 64% of our budget for the year."

According to preliminary figures, the department serviced 8,007 sites and built 8,218 houses.

"We have approved a number of new projects in the third quarter, which will assist us to accelerate this delivery in the last three months of 2010/11.

"We are confident that we can spend the balance of R705-million in the final quarter of the financial year, and that it won't be necessary to redirect any of the Western Cape's grant allocation."

- Timeslive

Stoves blamed for Cape fires

Annually thousands of people lose their homes and possessions in the Western Cape as raging fires rip through rows of informal housing.

The Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa (Pasasa) blames illegal paraffin stoves that are flooding the South African market, in particular illegal models based on the “Panda” Wick Paraffin Stove.

The model was outlawed by proclamation in a Government Gazette in 2007 because it did not meet safety standards.

According to Pasasa, 63 percent of fires in informal homes were related to faulty stoves. But users said they did not have alternatives.

The association said the legal stoves had safety mechanisms that automatically extinguished them if they were knocked over. The paraffin in the stoves’ tanks would not reach a temperature at which it could explode.

Of the illegal paraffin stoves, Pasasa senior project manager Dehran Swart said: “There is a big challenge with these stoves, as they are cheaper than the approved ones. Their purchase places the safety of homes at a high risk of experiencing fires.

“They are usually sold informally from spaza shops and even directly off bakkies.”

Swart said among the reasons the stoves were deemed dangerous were their high emission of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, leakage when they fell over, a weak structural design and overheating of paraffin in reservoirs which could lead to an explosion.

According to Pasasa, the stoves are smuggled to South Africa through the Port Elizabeth and Durban harbours.

“It seems as if these stoves are smuggled in over the borders of SA, even in containers on ships where the contents of these are not correctly declared,” Swart said.

An investigation by the Cape Times discovered that several shops in the city were still selling the outlawed stoves.

Two shops in Khayelitsha Mall owned by Chinese nationals sold the stoves at R100. Two other shops, in Philippi, sold the illegal stoves at R70. The legal stoves go for R150.

Gen Home Furnitures at the Goal Mall in Philippi East sold both the legal and the illegal stoves. The shop owner, who did not want to be named, said: “These old stoves are dangerous, but they are very much in demand because they are affordable. People don’t want the new models because they are complicated. They say the old stoves are much easier to use because they have been using them for a long time.”

Residents at the Enkanini informal settlement in Khayelitsha who bought their stoves from the Chinese shops acknowledged that the paraffin stoves were hazardous, but said they had no alternative.

Enkanini resident Sisanda Mgeni said her shack was almost gutted after her paraffin stove burst into flames.

“You also can’t leave these stoves unattended because they can burst into flames from nowhere. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t use the paraffin stove because its not safe. It gives you problems before it’s even a month old, but we don’t have a choice because we don’t have electricity and gas is expensive,” said Mgeni.

Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesman Theo Layne could not confirm that most shack fires last year were caused by paraffin stoves.

He said a variety of causes were to blame for shack fires in 2010.

- Cape Times

2011 means time for innovation, says Linford director

The region’s construction companies will be under “increasing pressure” to innovate and create sustainable alternatives to standard building products over the next year. That’s according to Mike Thompson, managing director of Linford Building, who spoke to Insider.

Thompson said that the year would require creativity, innovation and hard work from the sector.

“Everyone is under increasing pressure – we have weathered the last few years, but it is still going to be difficult,” he said.

Linford Building is a division of The Linford Group, which won a national award for its sustainable ‘hemp house’ last year. The house was created with a hemp-based substance to replace concrete.

“I think all building firms are having to look at sustainable measures,” said Thompson. “We specialise in architectural and restorative work, and are looking to secure a place on the West Midlands construction framework.”

Thomson said if the company was successful in gaining a place on the framework, whereby the chosen firms will tender for construction projects, then there “could be room for expansion”.

“We’re not really thinking about expansion at the moment,” he said. “But who knows, if our tender to join the framework is successful, we may begin to think about growing the business then.”

- Insidermedia

Group lobbies for more wood in new houses

THE timber and forestry industry has established a Wood Foundation to lobby the government to dramatically change the construction of its housing by using wood instead of bricks and mortar in a bid to lower SA’s carbon emissions footprint.

It argues that promoting wood as the main source for construction will support the local economy and job creation, while steering SA towards green building practices and the implementation of energy efficiency legislation.

SA’s carbon footprint is the highest on the continent, with per capita emissions of 10 tons per person.

Roy Southey, chairman of the Wood Foundation, said: "Our core objective is to promote the vital role wood plays in influencing our lives through sustainable forestation and building practices."

Wood should replace other building materials because it is "biodegradable, serves as a great insulator, uses less energy to process than steel, concrete, aluminium or plastic, and is 100% renewable", the foundation said .

Mr Southey said wood had a long lifespan and extensive durability with the correct treatment.

"It is easy to maintain and has excellent insulation and acoustic characteristics, while also being flexible to work with and aesthetically pleasing.

"There is a basic lack of common knowledge about wood in our country. If we look at the building sector, for example, wood has been replaced with alternative building materials such as glass, plastic, cement and steel, which are produced by drawing on precious and already depleted natural resources.

"Without renewing these resources, nothing is returned to the environment and we continue to contribute towards the devastating effects of global warming."

Chris Vick, special adviser to Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, said the department would welcome a discussion with the forestry and wood industry to consider alternative housing projects in line with the government’s targets to reduce carbon emissions.

"We hope that they will approach us directly with their alternative, innovation and ideas."

Mr Vick said that the department recently invited the more than 90 innovators, who displayed new methods for housing development at the Alternative Building Technology Exhibition, to forward their proposals on green or biodegradable construction materials.

He said Mr Sexwale was encouraging the human settlements department to keep an open mind and look at the best construction practices locally and internationally .

The foundation said it would also encourage better forest management systems to ensure a sustainable use of wood.

- BusinessDay - News worth knowing

Shack fires blamed on unsafe stoves

Trade and industry minister Rob Davies says a stronger clampdown is required on the sale of unsafe paraffin stoves.

This after a fire in the informal settlement at Masiphumelele, near Kommetjie, razed 150 shacks early on the Day of Goodwill and left more than 300 people homeless.

And although its cause remained unclear, Davis said unsafe paraffin stoves, which had been outlawed, had caused similar fires before.

He was in the area on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks to hand over food parcels and blankets to those affected, many unemployed.

“Paraffin stoves that fall over are banned. If you know of anyone selling these stoves you should report them,” Davis told the community.

He said he came back to express solidarity and to provide modest relief to those who had been worst affected.

“We want to transform the conditions in which people live. There’s a lot that needs to happen to change the reality in which fires occur,” said Davis.

But he also urged the communities to be more responsible and prevent fires.

Davis said: “While we have informal settlements, we must pay attention to make sure that we try to prevent fires.”

The managing director of the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa (Pasasa), Patrick Kulani, said many dealers were still selling the unsafe stoves.

“Yes, we’ve encountered them. They are coming into the country illegally and we’ve been working with the Port Authority to stem their flow,” said Kulani.

He said reasons many shack-dwellers still used the dangerous stoves was because of their price and their ease of use. “These illegal stoves cost about R50 as opposed to R150 for the safe stoves. The safer stoves also require the user to read instructions, and in some cases they are sold without instructions,” said Kulani.

One of the fire victims, Nosisi Guza, 53, expressed gratitude for the food parcel, saying that it would go a long way in helping her family.

Guza’s family of four survive on the child grant she receives for her 14-year-old daughter and from her job as a char.

“We only managed to salvage a small suitcase with clothes. Other than that we have nothing,” said Guza.

- Cape Times

Water-bombs for shack fires?

Fires frequently sweep through informal settlements, destroying shacks, injuring or killing people and depriving residents of their few meagre possessions. However, the City of Cape Town is working on plans to water-bomb shack fires in an attempt to rapidly extinguish them.

The Western Cape provincial government is revising its fire-fighting plans and the use of fixed-wing plans to dump a 2,5-ton load of water directly onto a shack fire is one of the options being considered.

However, fire chiefs in the province have serious reservations about dumping a large load of water onto shacks that may still be occupied, fearing that the deluge could cause additional injuries to residents who are trying to flee the fires.

The other concern is that there is a lengthy turn-around time for the planes, which must first refill their bowsers with water before flying back to the site of the fire and dumping the next load.

In December last year there were 137 shack fires in Cape Town, another 134 fires in suburban areas around the city and 1 275 veld and grass fires. According to fire services spokesman Theo Layne, fires in informal settlements destroyed between 10 and 50 homes.

The most devastating fire occurred in Masiphumelele near Kommetjie last week where 168 homes were burnt down leaving more than 600 people homeless.

Water-bombing of homes and shacks is not common although the system has been used in previous shack fires and local government MEC, Anton Bredell says he is very keen to use planes for this purpose.

Layne says the council will probably not use fixed-wing aircraft but has chartered a water-bombing helicopter that could be used with caution to fight fires. These helicopters carry buckets that hold about 3 500 litres of water.

However, Layne points out that this amount of water weighs about 3,5-tons and can cause serious damage to people on the ground when dropped from a relatively low height.

- Prop24

Shacks burn - we need houses'

Lulama Saki has had to pick up the pieces three times because of shack fires.

On Tuesday she was rebuilding her home which was among 31 shacks destroyed by a blaze at the Doornbach informal settlement near Dunoon. For the third time in 12 years she has lost everything to fire.

Although officials were to investigate the cause of the fire, residents alleged that one of them had been cooking in his house when he left the stove unattended.

Shortly before 1am the man shouted that his house was on fire, residents said.

Firefighters were called to the scene and the fire was brought under control before 2am, Cape Town Fire and Rescue said.

Saki, who lived in a four-room shack with her husband and two children, was one of 72, including 27 children, left homeless as a result of the fire. No deaths or injuries were reported.

“This is the third time my shack has been destroyed since we moved here in 1998.

“We are grateful for the new materials but even if we rebuild there will be another fire, what people need are houses,” Saki said.

She said they were asleep when a neighbour knocked on the side of her shack warning them of the fire, which had already reached their shack so they could not save anything.

“When we went outside to check what was happening, we saw people scrambling trying to save their belongings.

“When we went back inside the fire had already destroyed one side of the shack.

“Everything was destroyed, the only clothes we have are the ones we have on right now.”

Another resident, Welcome Mendile, only managed to salvage a television and a radio.

“When we heard screams I went outside to check what was happening, the fire was already gutting the shack in front of our house. It reached us so quickly we could only take the TV and radio.

“Everything else went with the fire,” Mendile said.

Less than three months ago a fire destroyed 50 homes and left more than 200 people homeless in Doornbach.

- Cape Times

Industrial hemp an economic opportunity

The 100 Mile House Industrial Hemp Project has sparked growing interest in the region.

Industrial Hemp Pilot Project (IHPP) manager Erik Eising said the project’s scope of having hemp produced, processed and marketed in the region brought more producers into the project in 2010.

He noted the 85 acres planted in fibre-producing industrial hemp in the 100 Mile area makes it the only industrial hemp production centre in British Columbia.

The IHPP now covers a region stretching from Ashcroft to Vanderhoof with 100 Mile House remaining as the processing hub, Eising explained.

Project efforts in 2010 included a local 100 Mile House Industrial Hemp producer group that was formed in January, followed by maintenance and observation work on the test plots performed by student co-ordinator Robin Diether.

In August, a partnership was formed with The Alternative Village at the University of Manitoba (UM).

The District of 100 Mile House is spearheading the IHPP and Coun. Mel Torgerson said the district has been looking toward projects like this for much-needed economic diversification.

He added the IHPP has been ongoing for seven years and allows two avenues of opportunity, namely the green-building industry and industrial hemp processing.

“With the partnering of the university, we’ll be much further ahead and, hopefully, we can advance this project.”

With only a few minor hemp fibre processors in Canada and none in the United States, the district branded itself as the Canadian Knowledge Centre for Industrial Hemp Fibre Processing in September.

Seeding the 20 test plots as part of the only varietal test program for research in B.C., results were shared with partners, such as the UM.

“This year, we are testing five varieties and we’re replicating each variety four times to establish reliable results,” said Diether.

The 2010 Industrial Hemp Green Building Conference held in November showcased some of the industrial hemp green-building techniques.

Some 70 people participated over the course of the three-day conference, which included an industry meeting, technical presentations and hands-on workshops focusing on hemp construction and alternative building materials.

A consensus was reached by the producers, presenters and instructors that an industrial hemp green building organization was needed, Eising said, adding efforts got underway to set that up,.

Also initiated at the conference was the formation of a team to prepare for a transportable, hemp construction building for demonstration purposes in 100 Mile House, a target that has been in the IHPP’s sights for some time.

- 100 Mile House free Press

Support for fire-hit township

Trade and industry minister Rob Davies handed out blankets and food parcels on Tuesday to families whose shacks were destroyed by fire in the Masiphumelele township outside Fish Hoek in Cape Town last week.

Davies, who visited the township in November for an entrepreneurship programme, returned to the township to “show his support” to those affected by the fires, his spokesman Bongani Lukhele said.

“In November the minister addressed more than 250 business people and aspirant entrepreneurs as part of the 'Taking the dti to the People' campaign,” Lukhele said.

“This morning he returned to the area to hand over food parcels and to tour the area where the shacks burned down.

“He felt it was important for him to come over to show his support to the people.”

About 160 homes were gutted and more than 600 people left homeless in the fire which started about 7am on Family Day.

Fifteen fire engines and a helicopter were used to battle the fire. No fatalities were reported.

The displaced people were accommodated at the Masiphumelele Community Hall.

- Sapa

72 homeless after Doornbach fire

A fire has destroyed 31 shacks at the Doornbach informal settlement in Potsdam Outspan.

The City of Cape Town said: “72 persons, including 27 children, were left homeless as a result of the fire.”

Nobody was injured.

The fire started at about 12.40am on Tuesday and was brought under control by 1.30am after firefighters and vehicles from Milnerton, Brooklyn and Epping fire stations were sent to the settlement.

“At first light this morning, City disaster response teams were on-site to assist the affected victims.”

The cause of the fire had not been established. - Sapa

How to build a Cannabrick Home

Peacefully Demonstrated outside the Department of Housing May 7 2005

1. Plant a cannabis seed. Water and allow the plant to grow and produce seed. Plant and water these seeds. Your goal is to grow enough to build a house, you will need about 1 acre to build a 5 roomed home.
   
   Tyala imbewu ntsangu (ye-cannabis). Nkcenkceshela imbewu uze uyinike ithuba lokuba ikhule ide ikhuphe eyayo imbewu. Uyothi ke uyityale nalembewu uyinkcenkceshele njalo. Injongo yakho kukukhulisa izityalo ezothi zonele ekwakheni indlu, uyakudinga i-acre (malunga nentsimi) enye ukuze wakhe indlu enamagumbi amahlanu.
   
   Plant 'n hemp saad. Water en laat die plante om te groei en saad te produseer. Plant en water hierdie sade. Jou doel is om te groei genoeg is om 'n huis bou, jy sal ongeveer een aker benodig om' n 5-kamer huis te bou.
   
   
2. Consider the many relevant points presented in the guidelines of Build your house step-by-step.
   
   Qwalasela yonke imigaqo oyibekelweyo kwincwadana i-Build Your House Step By Step.
   
   Oorweeg die baie relevante punte in die riglyne van die bou van jou huis stap aangebied-vir-stap.
   
   
   
   
   


3. Start planning where your house will stand. Consider everything about the environment you’ll be building in, like winter and summer sunshine, wind and rain – you don’t want to build on a floodplain, or your house will wash away. Be sure to plan all your water and waste requirements.
   
   Ceba indawo ozokwakha kuyo indlu yakho. Qwalasela yonke into ngomhlaba lo uzokwakha kuwo indlu yakho, izinto ezinje ngemimoya, ilanga, neemvula zehlobo nobusika, akekho umntu ofuna ukwakha indlu yakhe emgxobhozweni okanye apho iyothi ibe lilifa lezikhukhula khona. Uqiniseke ukuba unamanzi akulungeleyo ukwenza oku.
   
   Begin met die beplanning, waar jou huis sal staan. Oorweeg dit alles oor die omgewing en jy sal gebou in, soos winter en somer son, wind en reën - jy nie wil bou op 'n vloedvlakte, of jou huis sal wegspoelen nie. Maak seker om te beplan al jou water en afval vereistes voldoen.
   
   
4. Cut the grown cannabis plants down and leave in the field to rhett for a week. The morning dew and natural rotting process will loosen the fibers from the plant.
   
   a. Process the plant matter by cutting leaves and branches off, then hit small bundles the length of the plant over and upturned rake.
   b. The long fiber parts that remain in your hand are good for weaving rugs and making various other items your skills can accomplish.
   c. The seed can be gathered for more housing.
   d. Gather the small woody bits (the hurd) that have fallen, this waste is what will be used in the construction material.
   
   Sika / sarha izityalo uzibeke egadini ixesha elingangeveki ukuze zibole. Umbethe wasekuseni nezinye izinto zendalo ezibolisayo ziya kuyikhulula I-fibre ezityalweni.
   
   a. Yikhawulezise ngohlukanisa intonga zezityalo namagqabi, uhlale uyiharika rhoqo.
   b. Intonga ezi zinothi zincede kwezinye izinto ezifana nokwenza ingubo nezinye izinto onothi uzibonele zona ngokolwazi lwakho.
   c. Imbewu inokuqokelelwe ukwakha ezinye izindlu.
   d. Qokelela imithana ethe yaziwela njengokuba uzoyisebenzisa xa usakha indlu yakho.
   
   Sny die gegroei hemp/cannabis plante af en in die veld verlaat om rhett vir 'n week. Die oggend-dou en die natuurlike verrotting proses sal die vesel van die plant los te maak.
   
   a. Proses van die plantmateriaal deur te sny blare en takke af, dan is getref klein bundels die lengte van die plant oor en omgekeerde hark.
   b. Die lang vesel dele wat in jou hand bly is goed vir die matte weef en die maak van verskeie ander items jou vaardighede kan bereik.
   c. Die saad kan vir meer behuising ingesamel word.
   d. Versamel die klein houtagtige bits (die hurd) wat gedaal het, die afval is wat sal in die konstruksie materiaal gebruik kan word.
   
   


5. Wash the hurd, dry it, then wash it again. Be careful not to allow the matter to rot or decay during this process, by turning, airing and allowing the African sun to dry the hurd properly. Now combine in proportions 10:2:3:3 combine the cannabis/ntsangu/dagga Hurd(10), washed river sand 0.5mm(2), hydraulic lime(3) and water(3) to make the mulch (This process may need tweaking depending on your geographic location, humidity, rainfall etc)
   
   Hlamba ingqokelela yakho, uyomise, uphinde uyihlambe.Ulumkele ukuba lengqokelela ibole kwelithuba, yiguquguqule, uyivumele ibethwe ngumoya uvumele nelanga lase Afrika liyomise lengqokelela. Dibanisa ngokwalo mgaqo 10:2:3:3, dibanisa ke lemvuno yakho yomgquba wentsangu (10) kunye nesanti yasemlanjeni 0.5mm(2), ikalika (3) kunye namanzi (3) ukwenza udaka (Nale into ke iyokuthi ixhomekeke kwindawo leyo ukuyo nemvula zakhona njalo-njalo).
   
   Was die kudde, droog dit af, dan was dit weer. Wees versigtig om nie toe te laat die aangeleentheid te verrot of verval gedurende hierdie proses, deur die draai, voorlê en laat die Afrika-son om droog die kudde goed. Nou kombineer in verhoudings 10:2:3:3 kombineer die cannabis / ntsangu / dagga Hurd (10), gewaste riviersand 0.5 mm (2), hidrouliese kalk (3) en water (3) aan die deklaag te maak (Hierdie proses kan tweaking nodig, afhangende van jou geografiese ligging, humiditeit, reën, ens)
   
   
6. Now build your house! Ngoku ke yakha indlu yakho! Nou bou jou huis!
   
   
7. Teach others. Fundisa abanye. Onderrig ander.
   
   

You can use this “dagga-cement” for making bricks, shutter casting or the proven “pole-and-dagga” method. This last method allows for a sturdy, warm, fireproof and water proof home – built with pride and intuitive engineering, not a ‘uniform box’.

Be sure to consider all aspects of your house design and structural requirements. Although the cannabis-cement will become stronger than steel in time, it is not advised to build over 2 floors high without considering structural implications. With planning this cement can be used to build up to 4 floors high.

The cannabis-cement will dry over a period of a month (depending on the weather). At this point you will be able to add the roof. Seal your home’s walls with lime; lime external walls annually. Decorate your house with masonry to make it unique, and paint with coloured lime as per custom.

Always PLANT A TREE in a place that will provide shade, to commemorate this accomplishment.

Council will plant trees if citizens care for them. Call (021) 689-8938 http://www.trees.org.za/

Assist your family, friends or neighbors with your experience and expertise. Share information and technique; you can uplift yourself and your community.

Growing Your Own Home has never been easier!

Affordable Housing becomes Green with hemp

Entering the housing market is not only a challenge for first time buyers, but also for conscious consumers wanting to take care of the environment without spending a fortune.

With now legal industrial hemp licenses available in many countries around the world, Growing Your Own Home has never been easier!

According to long-time industrial hemp expert Paul Benhaim, “just one acre of land is enough for you to grow a crop of hemp that can be converted to a regular looking building on that same piece of land”. He goes on to say “and we are not talking rustic homes, but regular looking solid council approved buildings”.

These new eco friendly buildings are built by regular builders, and don’t require specialist designs, though the developers recommend solar passive designs that take advantage of the thermal mass offered by the hemp walls. As well as residential and commercial projects, simple renovations are possible.

Until now you had to import materials to be sure of a standard building product. Previous versions of similar technologies commonly known as ‘hemcrete’ or ‘hempcrete’ have also required processing of hemp in large factories. Hence this technology has not been fully sustainable, until now.

This new technology developed over 10 years by Klara Marosszeky allows simple harvesting of hemp that makes use of the whole stalk to create a building material that has excellent rodents, fire and insulation properties. Although an option, no rendering or finishing is required (you can colour through the mix) and all local materials can be used in what is becoming the leader in the latest trend in environmentally friendly building techniques.

Klara is currently hoping for a project to see some genuine and direct outcomes for the Indigenous people of Australia in regards to Affordable 'home grown' housing. South Africa and Trinidad have also showed interest in this technology.

Klara Marosszeky and Paul Benhaim are about to launch their findings in a new book on Building with Hemp which includes a detailed construction manual. To support professional builders, self-builders, renovators and eco enthusiasts Klara and Paul will personally share this technique at workshops around the world in 2011. A one-off special preview workshop will be launched in Byron Bay, Australia on September 4th 2010.