Owning a place they can call home remains an 
unattainable dream for millions of low-income earners in South Africa. This is exacerbated by the fact that there is a 2,2-million housing-unit backlog.

However, Jabulani Emvelo Eco Projects believes that its modular systems are quicker to deploy and can provide good-quality homes faster, which will help in reducing the backlog.

“With our modular approach, we will be capable in the future of deploying between 12 000 to 
15 000 houses a year. For this year, we have not come up with a target as yet; we are still engaging with government and other 
players – the real volumes will kick in in 2011,” Jabulani Emvelo Eco Projects director Pancho Ndebele tells Engineering News.

He points out that the human settlements challenge cannot be solved by government alone. Government’s role is to work with stakeholders to come up with 
policies and incentives that enable 
competent organisations from the private sector and nongovernmental housing associations to do what they do best – that is to build good-quality homes.

“There is a need for innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and 
alternative solutions to transform the housing sector,” says Ndebele.

He adds that the company has developed its prototype home, which it is showcasing to government, housing associations, nongovernmental organisations and private developers.

“We are confident that we will receive 
orders this year. We have already 
had a number of enquiries from developers in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo and a number private 
individuals.”

The house does not rely on existing infrastructure, such as getting power utility Eskom to connect the electricity or a municipality to put in a sewer connection, and has incorporated designs that will ensure that speed, combined with quality and afforda-
bility, will enable the company to deliver a solid service on time.

“Our approach is about what we refer to as bottom-up black economic empowerment. We have developed an approach in which our manufacturing process will include a number of newly empowered subcontractors, whom we will train to provide specific services to create jobs and new skills,” explains Ndebele.

The company says that the 
installation of solar water heaters and solar-powered electricity will create new, sustainable and 
decent green jobs.

“Our housing sites will create jobs for the communities. We 
believe that the communities can get involved in building their houses and, at the end of the day, they do not just get a house, but will also receive some income for building their own houses.”

Ndebele notes that the company 
plans to develop its own flagship Jabulani eco-villages where possible and to work with government, the private sector and other stakeholders that are involved in human settlements.

He points out that the 2007 ‘The Next 4 Billion’ study [by the World Resources Institute] estimated the base of the economic pyramid housing-market spend for 12 countries across Africa at $42,9-billion.

“That is only for 12 African countries. Our systems can go any-
where there is a market need. In our view the future is bright and, more importantly, we are driven by bringing dignity to the masses 
at the base of the economic 
pyramid.”