SA Affordable Housing March - April 2020 // ISSUE: 81 | Page 14

COVER STORY
Interlocking Technology
is the most affordable
Sponsored by Hydraform Ya Batho (Pty) Ltd
Hydraform Ya Batho (‘For the People’) was launched last year as
the South African subsidiary of the Hydraform Group, in business
since 1988, as the original manufacturer of the Hydraform building
technology products.
T
he Company Hydraform Ya Batho was launched in 2019
and is 51% black-owned, with 26% black female
owned. Today, Hydraform manufactures a range of
machines that offers full turnkey functionality.
From its flagship interlocking stabilised soil-cement
block-making machines, to equipment that produces various
types of brick and pavers, rooftiles, soil-sifting rotary screen
machines. They are used in over 40 different countries all
across Africa and the world to build quality homes, universities,
schools, churches, museums and other commercial buildings.
The interlocking stabilised soil-cement blocks are composed of
90% local soil (sub-soil rather than top-soil) mixed with 10%
cement and some water. This mix-ratio is compacted by the
Hydraform machine into a solid, high quality cost-effective
interlocking block. The interlocking blocks lock front to back,
top and bottom so the blocks can be dry stacked easily thereby
providing speed of construction.
Mabuse Hlalele, group business development and marketing
executive, describes the business as falling into three
categories:
• Interlocking block machines: The Hydraform interlocking
building block remains the most popular choice in
alternative building technology (ABT) for various
construction purposes, and especially affordable housing,
given its speed, efficiency, cost saving and localised
production benefits. Its various machines range in
productivity from 500 blocks to 6 000 blocks a day. The
unique interlocking, mortar-less design means significant
reductions in building costs and is backed by Agrément
Certificate 96/237.
• Brick and paving machines: These can produce various
type of moulds such as the maxi brick, pavers, stock brick
12
MARCH - APRIL 2020
SAAffordHousing
From left: Mabuse Hlalele, group business development and
marketing executive; Lusanda Zimase, sales director; and
Monty Mothobi, managing director of Hydraform Ya Batho.
Tshwane Housing Project, near Attridgeville.
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