Building Methods in Grahamstown East

Using The Scientific Method

Houses built before 1960 in Grahamstown's Fingo Village have endured although they are made of zinc or mud. Even the brick houses in Joza Location which, I'm given to believe, was built by the municipality in 1957 are much stronger than the RDP (Redistribution and Development Project) houses that are going up - speedily - everywhere. But let's first focus our attention on Fingo Village.

It is understandable that the mud houses will still be standing because the mud is mixed with either clay or cow dung. In this way the sticks that act as pillars within the wall are supposed to be protected from rain. This means they stay hard much longer. Also there is something called 'umvenyathi' (a kind of wild shrub very abundant in the Eastern Cape) that is believed to discourage insects from feeding on the wood (the sticks).

Now there is also something called 'ukugudula'. Ukugudula is a process where, after a period of about six months the mud is scraped off and new mud replaces it. Therefore the house is 'renovated'. This process of maintenance is topped with new paint every time it is done - but other times the mud is left unpainted which leaves the house looking glum if exotic.

The zinc houses grabbed more of my attention because I grew up in Fingo Village myself and had never seen any household replacing the zinc. Even the paint (mostly yellowish, white or powder blue) that was used never impressed me as high quality paint. Why, therefore, were the old houses still standing after fifty years whereas houses that were built in, say, 1980 in the same area are in desperate need of maintenance?

Enquiries I made revealed a few interesting answers. But I should stress that some of these answers are from people who had not made proper studies about the houses. They base their information on popular belief, superstition or just hunches. What I am trying to do now is to take the information they gave to me and use the scientific method to assess if it is reasonable enough to explain the trend (why the old houses are still standing and the newer ones are collapsing). NB: Please look under 'Example 1' and 'Example 2' for more.

Index

1. Conclusions
2. Example 1
3. Example 2

1. Conclusions

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2. Example 1

Zinc houses from before 1960 started to rot only in the late '80s and not before.

· In most premises there were fruit trees that shelted the houses from rains, winds and strong sun rays.

Old zinc was not replaced with new.

· The zinc was painted every year around Christmas.

Paint used not high quality paint.

· Paint was often mixed with salt which was believed to strengthen the paint and make it last longer.

Some houses are built on humid ground.

· Grooves were often dug all around the house to reduce water filtration.

There were livestock such as cows that could destroy the houses (by rubbing against them) but did not.

· The kraals were fenced and their gates were opened away from the yard - meaning, the livestock did not roam around the walls.

If it's because the zinc was of good quality, it must have been costly. How could people afford it then?

· People lived as extended families with more than one family member working. The cost of building a house was, therefore, shared which reduced the expense load.

Why did the later generation not use the same quality zinc.

People had by now started living as nuclues families with, mostly, one family member working. Also, there was by this time more alternative and cheaper zinc available on the market. NB: see also 'Example 2' for houses in Joza Location.

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