Publication: Sunday Argus Issued: Date: 2006-10-08 Reporter: Michael Schmidt

Spinoff Deal May Provide Better Houses

 

Publication 

Sunday Argus

Date

2006-10-08

Reporter

 Michael Schmidt

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

A prefabricated housing system - in the form of a R100-million manufacturing and building package *1 - looks set to be one of the most positive spin-offs from the controversial multi-billion-rand arms deal.

The "Affordable Comfort Home"is a national industrial participation project associated with the German Frigate Consortium's provision of four Meko-class stealth frigates for the South African Navy.

The modular housing system, which has walls of steel sandwiching an insulation layer of polyurethane, was given the stamp of approval after a rigorous set of tests at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Tshwane.

The corrugated roofs were subjected to lifting and buckling tests, and engineers tested the "comfort" of the homes, including the acoustic levels between rooms and the protection from heat and cold provided by the insulation.

Parent company ThyssenKrupp has negotiated with the Ministry of Housing about establishing a factory in South Africa, probably in Gauteng, which will employ 120 to 160 new technical staff *2 and produce up to 15 000 new 49m2 houses a year.

These will be erected by between 400 and 500 skilled and semi-skilled staff.

With acknowledgements to Michael Schmidt and Sunday Argus.


*1      Wow!


*2      Wow!


*3      Wow! 49 mē, 49 square metres?

The point is, South Africa needs homes and therefore there is a market to produce easy-to-erect, affordable and comfortable homes.

The government pays for these homes using the tax that we pay.

Just why is it necessary for an acquisition of four top-of-the-range stealth frigates costing R6,873 billion in 1998 Rands to be a means by which this country acquires the capability of building easy-to-erect, affordable and comfortable homes in a factory costing R100 million?

It just don't make no sense, unless one's a member of MINCOM.