by Ryno Saayman
Harsh. Tough. Trying. All words that can aptly describe Gombani Village in Venda, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A village almost forgotten and so remote that neighbouring villages hardly even know about its existence. Set in the mountains of Limpopo close to the Zimbabwe border, hundreds of people call Gombani home.
Traditional houses made from mud are scattered across the harsh landscape. Most of these are showing signs of wear.
The Department of Public Works has heeded the call and responded by purchasing a Hydraform block making machine that is capable of manufacturing quality interlocking building blocks. Hydraform Mzansi assisted the Department of Public works in procuring the right machine for the project that produces interlocking building blocks on-site. The choice was an obvious one due to the inaccessibility of the village.
Rocky roads winding through the mountain make the village difficult to reach and few suppliers risk sending their vehicles to deliver necessary material to construction sites. This problem however was easily bypassed by purchasing a Hydraform mobile block machine that allows the manufacturing of blocks from local soil found in the area. The Hydraform M7MI was more than suitable for the project. It was towed behind a utility vehicle through the tough terrain and reached its destination unscathed.
The objectives set out by the Department of Public Works was not simple, deliver a mobile Hydraform Block Machine, set up a block-yard, empower local woman with the knowledge of machine operation and running of a block-yard, construct a 40 square meter house, all in a 3 week period.
According to Mike Foster, “we weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived at Gombani, we were aware that conditions would be tough but had complete faith that we could deliver on the promises made”.
The Hydraform team proceeded to conduct a comprehensive site survey to determine if the project would be viable. Suitable soil was soon found through the help of local villagers. Soil tests were conducted and the soil was found to contain the minimal amount of clay required to produce building blocks. According to Norman Sadie “we were surprised to find soil so quickly due to the sandy nature of the surrounding area”.
With the project plan put to paper, the Hydraform M7MI block machine was delivered on the 8th of August. This could have proved to be a difficult exercise under normal circumstances; however due the innovative design of the machine it was easily towed through the mountain passes on horrendous dirt roads, proving that these machines can truly go where few dare to venture.
The Department of Public Works identified 12 candidates to be trained on block manufacturing. This forms part of their policy to empower woman through the skills transfer program.
Due to her natural leadership qualities Sibongile was chosen as team leader. Sibongile is a local woman who was born in Gombani and has a passion for helping her fellow villagers. The block yard was quickly established with her help and 11 other women that were trained on; choosing suitable soil, working out the correct amounts on mixing, operating the machine and the curing process.
Block making commenced after training was conducted. The block yard was set up at the bottom of the village due to the availability of suitable soil.
After a steady few days of producing high quality interlocking blocks the day arrived for construction to start. On Friday the 26th of August the first interlocking blocks were laid into the foundation that was dug earlier that week. Local builders were trained on constructing with Hydraform interlocking blocks and the structure rose swiftly.
Joined by numerous delegates from the Department of Public Works including the Deputy Minister, Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu and the MEC for Public Works Ms Thabitha Mohlala, the delegates gave their helping hand in manufacturing blocks and constructing the house.
Both were impressed with the Compressed Earth Blocks that were produced on the site and comparisons to nearby buildings were soon made, highlighting the strength that is achieved and the cost of producing the blocks onsite vs. having to transport bricks and blocks to this remote area. This also brought on the subject of creating jobs, of which the Hydraform building system will allow for local unskilled labourers to be trained up and construct their new houses themselves.
Sunday’s activities were much the same with delegates from the department arriving early to help with construction. Towards Sunday afternoon moods were in high spirit and singing could be heard from all parts of the construction site. “It was truly a fantastic picture to see the happiness on the faces of the woman as they were dry stacking the last few interlocking blocks ” The thought of what was being achieved in such a short space of time convinced everyone around that this would be the technology to adopt for neighbouring villages and other provinces.
The success of this project can be attributed to the hands on attitude that the Department of Public Works had. They inspired many of the locals with their presence and the 120 blocks that they produced, along with the building goes a long way in uplifting morale in this small village.
Adding to the success was the dedicated Hydraform staff, which spent three weeks on site preparing and training locals.
Norman Sadie was quoted saying “it was not always easy, there were some setbacks, but this didn’t discourage us from reaching our end goal, water was hard to come by, but we got past that by having a contractor deliver a large container filled with water that was sufficient. The roof and glass for windows were only delivered on the Sunday; these were fitted before the day was done.
According to Mike Foster this was an ideal opportunity to showcase the effectiveness of the Hydraform building system and the potential it has to transfer skills to rural communities and enabling them to establish a self-sufficient sustainable community with endless possibilities.
Please follow the link below view the Sunrise interview that was conducted on e-TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOIQgEMyxqI
 
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