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| Project News |
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Rocla Partners with
Richards Bay Community to Address Sanitation Needs |
| Released: 22 October 2009 |
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Rocla, leaders in precast concrete infrastructural
products and solutions in southern Africa, is
partnering with the community in the Umhlathuzi
Municipality (Richards Bay) to address critical
sanitation needs in the area. Specially designed
toilet units are playing an important role in
enhancing quality of life for the local residents.
Precast concrete panel toilets are proving to be a
cost effective and hygenic solution to the current
absence of a formal formal sanitation system which
poses a health risk to communities. |
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Community members at the
Richards Bay factory |
Rocla Precast Panel Toilet |
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The Umhlathuzi Municipality covers the Dube and
Mkhwanazi traditional areas near Port Dunford in
Richards Bay. Rocla is committed to use, train and
transfer skills to the local community in delivering
the project and has employed 150 people from the
surrounding communities, 70% of whom are women, to
work at the manufacturing plant in Richards Bay.
Each panel that forms part of the toilet unit weighs
between 70 and 80 kilograms and can be easily lifted
by four people.
Rocla's custom designed precast toilet is a durable
concrete structure which consists of six panels and
a roof with a cast in ventilation pipe. Each panel
consists of concrete with textile reinforcement cast
in a purpose made mould held in place in a steel
frame.
The toilet unit is erected over a double pit. When
the first pit is full, the toilet pan can be moved
inside the structure to the second adjacent pit. The
lifecycle of each pit is approximately 30 years and
if two pits are dug, the toilet can be used by a
single household for up to 60 years.
The back panel of the toilet has an attached
ventilation pipe, which diverts the smell away from
the toilet. The moisture of the urine is also
diverted away from the pit to minimise this waste
entering the pit. The door is made of galvanised
steel with a specially designed lock mechanism
which, even when locked, can be opened from the
inside. This is an important safety feature as it
prevents children from accidentally being locked in
the toilet.
Andre Rajoo, local site manager at Rocla's Richards
Bay factory says, “The advantage of using concrete
for the toilets is that it is highly durable and
requires little or no maintenance from the
municipality and the community. We have also custom
designed a brick-like pattern for the concrete units
to suit the customer's' preference at no additional
cost. Rocla has also established two brick-making
businesses in the community to supply bricks for the
pits. The brick-making project has created
additional jobs and will be handed over to the
community once the panelled precast toilets project
is complete. By April 2010, we will have completed
5500 units, as well as transferred useful skills to
local community members." |
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More about Rocla
Rocla (Pty) Ltd, part of the Murray & Roberts group,
is a leading manufacturer of precast concrete
products for infrastructure, including pipes,
culverts, manholes, poles and other related and
customised products.
Rocla partners with customers to design and develop
solutions for specific applications. With over 91
years of experience in precast concrete technology,
Rocla provides extensive backup and technical
expertise to its customer base. Rocla has an
extensive network of factories throughout South
Africa, Namibia and Botswana, and is an ISO
9001:2000 certified company.
Through the Rocla Academy, Rocla displays its
ongoing commitment to Continuous Professional
Development in the Construction industry. The Rocla
Academy adds value by providing training to
customers, contractors and engineering consultants.
Being the only company that offers skills and
competency training to external stakeholders, Rocla
partners with its customers to add value and deliver
service of a superior standard.
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