12 ASSOCIATIONS
Project 67 Toilets for Mandela Day
By
IOPSA KZN , edited by Rory Macnamara
“ It is easy to break down and destroy . The heroes are those who make peace and build .” – Nelson Mandela .
As South Africa and the rest of the world prepare to celebrate and remember the 18 July – the day annually dedicated to recognising our nation ’ s founder of democracy – the Institute of Plumbing SA ( IOPSA ) heeded the call to make a difference in another South African ’ s life . In keeping with the spirit of Ubuntu , the ’ 67 Toilets for Mandela Day ’ project was born with the vision of providing local NGOs and NPOs in KwaZulu-Natal with 67 brand new working ceramic toilets by the target date of 18 July .
IOPSA was established in 1989 by plumbers and provides a platform to advise on the practice and principles of the plumbing industry . The Institute regularly consults with the plumbing industry , governmental and regulatory bodies for the discussion of matters affecting the plumbing industry .
With responsible plumbing being their core focus , the IOPSA National office made the suggestion , and the KZN region decided to embark on this journey to improve much-needed toilet facilities at NGOs that did not have the funding or expertise to otherwise do the necessary replacement and repairs themselves .
The project planning started in April 2021 as sourcing the required material and the logistics to complete the project would take at least a minimum of 3 months . The KZN regional team met on regular intervals to ensure the project gained momentum and the execution was on track as they realised a project of this magnitude needed full commitment from the entire KZN committee . Furthermore , they required material sponsorship ; plumbing products and most importantly , time and labour from local plumbers to complete the installations in time . IOPSA started engaging with local manufacturers and brand leaders in the plumbing and sanware industry and soon as they realised the request for Mandela Day , all suppliers were committed to get involved and make a difference .
In an honourable gesture led by Gareth Knott ( Build IT ); Lee Holwill ( Build IT ); Bruce Macdonald ( Build IT ) took up the Headline Sponsorship . Without this generous donation of the 67 Toilets , this project may not have been possible .
• All 67 new toilets were donated by Built It ;
• Stainless steel grab-rails from Franke SA ;
• Bambino junior toilet suites from Ceramic Industries ; and
• Essential plumbing PVC fittings and pipe from Swan Plastics .
The project was now viable , so the team identified five institutions that needed the toilets the most and in areas that were logistically possible to work in : 1 . Horizon Farm Trust ( home for intellectually impaired adults ); 2 . North Coast Agricultural College ; 3 . Sinothando Creche ( partially destroyed by fire ); 4 . Inathi Child and Youth Centre ( lacking facilities for children and disabled ); and 5 . Nonopha Primary School St Wendolins ( underprivileged school )
These were the identified as the recipients , with four plumbing team leaders to manage the installations ; transport the material and recruit other local plumbers to remove old piping ; replace with new pipes and complete the installation of 67 working toilets which could take up to a week .
As the team were cognisant of Covid-19 regulations , all necessary precautions and protocols were followed .
The teams were ready to start on the 12 July and complete the project by the Sunday , but no one expected that on the morning of the 12 th , KZN would face unrest and the largest looting of retail shops and warehouses never seen before .
IOPSA DSPP Project students working under IOPSA KZN Vice chairperson Mehendra Sewpersadh – also Transformation committee member ( second from far right ) along with a new member , Michael Oberholzer ( far left ) of Bienare Services South Coast .
All major highways and routes in KZN were completely closed due to protesting and mass looting and no civilian travelling was permitted . This made completing the project in time impossible and so the project was put on hold indefinitely . Thankfully , on the 19th of July the looting had finally come to an end and KZN was back to almost normality ,
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline November 2021 Volume 27 I Number 9