In perhaps one of the most interesting Mandela Day initiatives, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela teamed up with fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee to showcase a nifty idea that could soon warm up shack dwellers in Johannesburg.
The pair have been hard at work creating an installation that demonstrates an innovative low-cost way to create insulation against heat and cold in shacks and low-income housing using recycled material.
They spent some of their Mandela Day on Monday at Afrika Tikkun’s Centre of Excellence in Braampark, Johannesburg where they exhibited the installation.
The idea for the project came after Madonsela's visit to a community radio station in Nambia earlier this year. She noticed that the studio was using disposable coffee-cups holders and material to create a sound proofing, sparking the thought that maybe the same materials could provide insulation to shack dwellers back home.
Watch Coetzee with Madonsela here:
She teamed up with the designer to try and make her idea a reality
"I honestly believe that the future of energy in the world is renewable energy. It’s really about using whatever you have, recycling materials in order to find solutions," Thuli said of the project.
Coetzee said that it was both beautiful and practical.
"It is such a pleasure to create something beautiful that also serves a practical purpose," he said.
But what use is a warm room if you have an empty tummy, right? That's why the pair also spent time planting spinach in the centre's vegetable garden and serving lunch.
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