Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal

Get the Most From your Membership

2012-01-27T09:14:00.006+02:00

In my recent run of member visits, I have been using the list below as touch points for discussion. Each item represents a free member service we provide and I am finding that many of our members aren’t aware of them, despite the fact that they have all been well communicated via our website and bi-weekly newsletter.

Listing on 'Find a Builder' Module on Website
Private Projects
Tender Information service
Use of Master Builders Brand
Press Releases published on Masterbuilders.co.za
Health and Safety (5 Hours / Year)
Contractual and Legal (1 Hour / Year)
Work Place Skills Plan
Access to Training

One that I am finding is making people sit up and listen is the Work Place Skills Plan. If you are paying a WSP levy, you are able to get a sizable portion of those monies back. We have somebody at the Association who will help with that at no cost, watch this space.

Ernest Roper
Regional General Manager

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PAIA or PAIN

2012-01-25T16:16:00.000+02:00

Notwithstanding that it’s no laughing matter; I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself when reading in the weekend paper that over a million PAIA manuals, have allegedly been dumped in order to make room in the SAHRC basement. This report was of course hot on the heels of the announcement that there would be yet another PAIA deadline extension.

My wife has a small business and I spent quite a bit of time over the December period compiling her manual in order to meet the previous compliance date of 31 December 2011. As instructed by the SAHRC website, I emailed it off to the address they had given and in return received: “The recipient's mailbox is full and can't accept messages now. Microsoft Exchange will not try to redeliver this message for you. Please try resending this message later, or contact the recipient directly.”

Over a period of about 3 weeks, I tried virtually on a daily bases and eventually a couple of days after the deadline, it finally went through without exchange server informing me otherwise. The reality is, they simply didn’t have the systems in place to handle late rush and I have to say, I’m not at all surprised that the deadline has now been extended to 2014.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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In The News

2012-01-23T20:35:00.005+02:00

I had an excellent meeting today with two gentlemen from Stefanutti Stocks Civils KZN who filled me in on details relating to a unique project they have been working on for the last year or so. The Association's Occupational Health and Safety Department had in fact put me in touch with them, as they had throughout the course of the project reached a unique OHS milestone, which our safety team thought newsworthy.

The reason for the meeting was essentially to gather enough information to write an article for publication on our website and in our newsletter. As it turned out, it was a thoroughly enjoyable meeting and the information that came from it is most certainly fascinating.

I have in the past invited members to inform us of their newsworthy accomplishments in order to allow us the opportunity, to promote them in this manner. Please note that the offer still stands.

I look forward to writing this particular article which will soon appear on masterbuilders.co.za. There is also a strong likelihood that it will find its way to SA Builder Magazine.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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A Bizarre Welding Incident

2012-01-20T19:39:00.001+02:00

We bring you yet another account of some poor sod that did something exceedingly stupid and paid the ultimate price for it. Once again it involves a do it yourself type who perhaps would still be with us, had he not done it himself. This particular genius was trying to manufacture a piece of equipment with which to clean his chimney, before it all went horribly wrong.

(13 January 2005, Croatia) 55-year-old Marko was wanting to clean his chimney, his flue however was longer than usual, too long, for a simple broom to work. He decided that if he could attach a brush to a chain and weigh it down with something, he would be able to get the job done by lowering it in, but what could he use as a weight?

After some scrounging around, he came across an object he thought would definitely do the trick. It was heavy and compact but best of all, it was made from metal so he could easily weld it to the chain. The fact that it was a hand grenade filled with explosive material was somehow overlooked.

Needless to say when the metal heated up, the grenade exploded killing Marko instantly while blasting shrapnel through the walls of his shed. While a Mercedes Benz parked outside was also badly damaged, nobody else was harmed in the incident. .... Bizarre!

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Association Safety Checks

2012-01-18T12:40:00.005+02:00

Members are reminded that the difference between full and ordinary membership is that full members are entitled to a listing on findabuilder.co.za and are also able to make use of the Association’s branding. If you are not a full member, in order to become one a mandatory safety check has to be done on your premises or site.

The message that I want to convey is that the safety check really is an essential yet straight forward process and I have no doubt that the majority of members who haven’t yet been checked, will pass it with relative ease.

If you would like to undergo the Association’s free safety check in order to become a full member, please contact Elishya in our Occupational Health & Safety department who will happily answer any questions you may have, and will also schedule a time with you. I encourage you to get it done.

For some background information as to why it is necessary, follow link to ‘Reasoning behind Mandatory Safety Checks’.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Planning a New Home

2012-01-16T16:07:00.004+02:00

Building a new home can be somewhat daunting as you are suddenly faced with a minefield of costly decisions that need to be signed off on. The good news is that through proper planning, knowing what you want and can afford and using the services of a reputable contractor, you are able to build successfully without a hitch.

If you are looking to build a new home, we recommend that you tick the following boxes:

Check the question of planning permission and the submission of plans with your Local Authority.
Choose a reputable building contractor, preferably a member of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal which is easily sourced on findabuilder.co.za where only members of the Association are listed.
Obtain written quotations and read them carefully.
The cheapest price isn't necessarily the best one. There could be hidden costs.
Don't be tempted by special cash deals to ‘save VAT'. This is illegal.
Beware of paying money upfront before any work is carried out.
Use a standard contract for substantial work. Protect yourself and your builder beforehand by making sure that the rights and obligations of both contracting parties are clear.
Check your insurance liabilities.
Avoid impulsive changes of mind and/or extra work. These may be costly.
"Caveat Emptor" - Buyer beware.

For a more detailed guideline, click through to ‘Getting the Most From Your Builder’, on masterbuilders.co.za.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Golf Days & Race Day

2012-01-13T11:44:00.003+02:00

With regard to the Association’s annual golf days, rather than having two separate events for Pietermaritzburg and Durban; the decision was taken to amalgamate the two and have one competition at a venue that is well suited taking into consideration accessibility for all.

The thinking is that it will be held at Kloof Country Club on 2 March 2012. For now the date is provisional and as soon as we are able to confirm it, we will let you know.

The good news for our Midlands based members is that after missing a year, the Pietermaritzburg race day makes a welcomed return. The event will take place at Scottsville Race Course on the 18th of November and with a bit of luck, my cunning strategy of picking horses whose names appeal to me will once again payoff.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Opportunity for Free Exposure

2012-01-11T09:46:00.007+02:00

There is a standing invitation to members of the Association to gain free exposure via our newsfeed on masterbuilders.co.za. Over the last three years we have uploaded several articles relating to member accomplishments most of which went onto feature in SA Builder magazine, as well as in other print publications.

Topics we have covered include members who are using new innovative building techniques, are involved in green building projects, low cost building methods and recipients of prestigious awards, as well as those who achieved occupational health and safety milestones. Provided below are links to some of those articles:

If your organisation does have something to offer in terms of news, please do not hesitate to contact me. The only stipulation is that the article has to on some level be newsworthy. For publishing of advertorial type dialog we do charge a fee in which case if you are interested, you may want to visit our advertising hub.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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South Coast Yearend Function

2011-12-14T12:27:00.005+02:00

Members of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal South Coast region each year get together for a yearend function to celebrate the season with fellow colleagues in the Industry. It is a fantastic tradition that builds camaraderie by allowing members to network among each other in a festive and relaxed environment.

This year it was held at the Margate Hotel where as is customary, the floating trophy for South Coast Member of the Year was awarded. With support of the Association the main criteria, the award is given to the member deemed to have been most active in the region throughout the year. The winner is determined by South Coast Regional Manager Hans Stols and Chairmen Thys Blom and in 2011, it went to Mike Bekker of MCB construction.

In the past we have uploaded images from meetings and events as web album slide shows embedded directly into the blog post. This week we launched our facebook page and as will be the way going forward, the images are available for viewing in our facebook photographs menu.

Subscribe to our facebook page.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Some Thoughts on PAIA

2011-12-12T11:53:00.005+02:00

For those who perhaps still aren’t aware, Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000 (PAIA) requires that all businesses submit a manual to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) by 31 December 2011, in both electronic and hard copy format. They are essentially seeking affirmation on the part of business, as to how their records can be accessed.

There are number of people offering their services looking to make a quick buck out of this, it seems the going rate for outsourcing is R1000. My wife owns a small business and the task has been delegated, I promised her I would work on it and send it off while on leave from the 16th.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely tempted to pay the 1K and get somebody else to do it, however after having done a bit research, I really believe this is something I can do myself so why waste the money.

If you haven’t yet made the effort and also intend doing it yourself, workinfo.com may prove a handy guideline, there is also plenty of useful information on www.sahrc.org.za.

Interestingly, there may yet be another deadline extension. Politicsweb.co.za reports that the Commission has been advised that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is considering it. Private bodies are requested to monitor the website of the South African Human Rights Commission which will carry a notice on the status of the exemption once they have received it.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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Safety on the Roads

2011-12-09T11:23:00.000+02:00

Every year Arrive Alive wishes road users a safe happy festive season and shares some suggestions on how to maintain safety on our roads. We urge all members and readers to please take heed of the following Arrive Alive pointers:

Obey the rules of the road and carry you drivers license with you.
Plan the route to your holiday destination and give your self enough time to reach the destination
Make sure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before departure. All lights and indicators, windscreen wipers, brakes, steering, exhaust system and tyres should be carefully examined for faults.
Do not overload.
Try to avoid driving after dark if possible.
Have a good rest before you embark on your journey
Take safety breaks every 2 hours or 200km
Do not drink and drive
Try to recognize potentially dangerous drivers on and pedestrians alongside the road and keep well clear of them
Be visible – drive with your lights on
Headlights should be dipped well before an approaching vehicle is within range of the main beam.
Always wear your seat belt and see that everyone in the car is wearing theirs.
Drive defensively
Stay within the speed limit at all times
Only overtake when it is absolutely safe to do so
Maintain at least a 2 second following distance - this distance should be increased at night, in foggy or rainy conditions and when the road is wet.
Expect others not to be as obedient to the law as yourself
Be courteous towards fellow road users - keep your temper and resist the temptation to retaliate

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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Tender Notices Online

2011-12-07T15:52:00.004+02:00

Had a very interesting conversation today with one of our regional managers who informed me of how much it costs to subscribe to a certain tender notification service. It turns out it isn’t cheap.

The Association appreciates how important it is for those operating within the Construction Industry to source and submit tenders. As a service to our members we do extensive research across the province, and upload tender notices on a daily bases pertaining to Civil, Electrical and Construction. The information is accessed in a password protected section of our website and only members are given passwords.

Information is obtained from the Natal Mercury, The Tribune, The Natal Witness, The Zululand Observer and The South Coast Herald, as well as the Government Gazette. The data is carefully compiled and placed in an easily accessible and easy to read Format.

In addition to this service, there is a whole host of other services we also provide to our members. I do find it fascinating that our annual membership fee is considerably less, than it costs to subscribe to an online tender notification service, our members get so much more for their money though.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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Findabuilder.co.za Update

2011-12-05T11:35:00.006+02:00

Uploading of findabuilder.co.za member pages is an ongoing process and I have just completed a batch for Zululand based members. For those who aren’t familiar with our ‘Find a Builder’ module, click here for more information.

You will notice from pages listed below (if you follow their Link) that many of them don’t have images displayed. The reason is that the member either didn’t provide us with images or they were of a poor quality and therefore weren’t used.

A picture paints a thousand words and I would have say from a visual perspective, Phezulu Projects is one of my favourites. Members who don’t have images displayed are welcome to forward some through to me, and I will happily add them in.

Pages recently uploaded:

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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The Light Bulb Side of Green Building

2011-12-02T09:27:00.007+02:00

"Humour is a serious thing. I like to think of it as one of our greatest natural resources, which must be preserved at all cost." —James Thurber

With Cop 17 not going to well and lack of political will evident, there is perhaps reason for doom and gloom. With environmental matters topping our list of concerns, if we are to follow Thurber's lead, we of course naturally progress to green building light bulb jokes..... Naturally!

Before we proceed, a bit of background information may prove necessary. LEED is the acronym for ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’. It is essentially a rating systems developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighbourhoods.

Enjoy......

How many daylighting consultants does it take to change a light bulb?
None—the sun will be back up in exactly 10 hours.

How many LEED Accredited Professionals does it take to change a light bulb?
Four—one to tell you how to earn LEED points by changing it, one to change it, one to document the change, and one to deliver the check to the U.S. Green Building Council for certifying the change.

How many product manufacturers does it take to change a light bulb?
10,001. Ten thousand to resist the change for as long as possible, and then the same 10,000 to tell you how many LEED points you can earn from making the change with their product. Oh, and one to change it.

How many occupants does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They'd rather curse the broken light bulb, the electrician, the landlord, and the architect.

How much actual energy performance data does it take to change a light bulb?
Don't know—we're still waiting for information from the engineer, who's waiting for information from the utility, who won't provide information until a submeter is installed, and the owner decided not to pay for it.

How many salvage contractors does it take to change a light bulb?
Two—one to change it, and one to sell the broken light bulb as aggregate for landscaping around the new light bulb.

How many code officials does it take to change a light bulb?
CHANGE?! I think not.

How many life-cycle assessment experts does it take to change a light bulb?
Two—one to change it, and one to change it back again after more data has come in.

How many LEED credits does it take to change a light bulb?
One—but you need a writer, 18 committee members representing manufacturers, government, the environmental community, the social justice community, and the health and safety community, three draft versions, two public comment periods, one life-cycle analysis, one pilot period with 100 pilot light bulbs, one member ballot, and one competing system with completely different standards.

How many State of California regulations does it take to change a light bulb?
Three—one to require that you change the light bulb, one to warn you that changing it could cause cancer, and one to ban disposal of the old light bulb.

How many inventors of new lighting technology does it take to change a light bulb?
It just looks like it's broken—the color temperature on these is in the Celsius scale.

How many Forest Stewardship Council-certified light bulbs does it take to change a light bulb?
None—the indigenous light bulb population won't allow it. And that new light bulb isn't certified for chain-of-custody, is it?

How much greenwashing does it take to change a light bulb?
Don't change at all. Just fund an "independent" organization, use it to write a "sustainability" standard, and put this cool planet logo on the same old light bulb.

How many advocates for market transformation does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one to write a green light bulb standard, changing the light bulb market forever. Oh, and one to specify a light bulb certified under that standard; one to start a foundation to subsidize purchases of the certified light bulbs; one to search the ends of the Earth for the actual product; one to buy it, and one to change it.

How many William McDonoughs does it take to change a light bulb?
The real question is, how do we love all the light bulbs of all species for all time? Let's eliminate the concept of the broken light bulb.

How many commissioning agents does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to note the problems with the light bulb, the design of the lighting controls, the lightshelves, and the shading system, and one to change the light bulb.

How many owner's representatives does it take to change a light bulb?
Sorry, that item has been value-engineered out!

How many U.S. Green Building Council Cascadia Chapter members does it take to change a light bulb?
You can change the light bulb, but only if there was already a light bulb in that socket before, if you use a light bulb with no PVC, formaldehyde, or halogenated flame retardants, and if the new light bulb is beautiful and inspiring.

How many natural builders does it take to change a light bulb?
Two—one to change it, and one to sculpt a decorative mud-and-straw wall around the old light bulb.

How many lighting designers does it take to change a light bulb?
Uh... "light bulb"? That's a lamp, what you are calling a "socket" is a luminaire, and I think you'd get better efficacy if you changed the ballast instead.

How many Environmental Building News editors does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to change it, and one to write, "One billion light bulbs will be changed in 2008, according to U.S. Department of Energy statistics. It's critically important that we use energy-efficiency light bulbs to replace the broken ones, but unfortunately, many light bulbs don't meet our GreenSpec standards, and changing light bulbs entails numerous health and environmental risks that you have never heard of before. In this article, we will examine the history of the light bulb, from its origins with tungsten filament..."

How many LEED AP exam takers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Let's see... EA Credit 1, EA Credit 5, MR Credit 2 if you recycle it, and maybe SS Credit 8, depending on the location. Sorry... what was the question?

Green building humour courtesy of Tristan Roberts and www.buildinggreen.com

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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PAIA Deadline - 31 December 2011

2011-11-30T15:18:00.005+02:00

Yesterday afternoon we uploaded an article to our website relating to PAIA. PAIA is the acronym for Promotion of Access to Information Act.

In terms of the Act, all businesses must compile and submit their PAIA manuals to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) by 31 December 2011, in both electronic and hard copy forms.

The due date is fast approaching!

There are quite a few pertinent points that you need to be aware of, for example the manual has to be made available at the company offices and on company websites. It also has to be updated with material changes on a regular basis.

Find Out More

ErnestRoper

Durban Regional Manager

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Treasure The Karoo Action Group

2011-11-28T09:58:00.004+02:00

Whilst promoting our new Eco-Eye product at the Green Expo in Cape Town last week, “Treasure The Karoo Action Group”, was among the many interesting fellow exhibitors we got to meet. As part of their awareness campaign and also to raise funds, they sell t-shirts which very cleverly depicts their stance.

The t-shirt front displays Zapiro’s excellent cartoon relating to fracking and on the back there is a short paragraph that very succinctly sums up the potential danger of it.

"Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) V.: Method used to release methane gas from shale rock deep underground. Each frack involves injecting millions of litres of water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals at high pressure, with over a thousand large trucks to assist. Several oil and gas companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, have applied to frack over two hundred thousand square kilometres of ecologically fragile, water scarce Karoo. This will ultimately result in thousands of gas rigs pumping billions of litres of toxic water into our farmlands, which can poison underground aquifers and boreholes polluting our environment with devastating long term effects.

We will be affected! Water is life.

It is up to stop this from becoming a reality, GET INVOLVED!

Treasure The Karoo Action Group"

www.treasurethekaroo.blogspot.com

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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The Big Hydrogen Beer Bang

2011-11-25T09:18:00.009+02:00

Evidently, hydrogen beer is big in Japan and in 1999, it was at the centre of a three-way lawsuit between former stockbroker Toshira Otoma, the Tike-Take karaoke bar, and the Asaka Beer Corporation.

In the manufacturing process of "Suiso" beer, carbon dioxide is replaced with environmentally friendly hydrogen gas, and is extremely popular at Japanese karaoke sing-along bars and discotheques.

For those participating in karaoke, hydrogen molecules are lighter than air and therefore sound waves are transmitted more rapidly with the nontoxic gas resulting in uncharacteristically high voices. Exploiting this quirk of physics, soprano parts are easily and regularly performed after consuming a big gulp of Suiso beer.

The flammable nature of hydrogen has apparently also become a big selling point, though it should be noted that Asaka has not acknowledged that this was a deliberate marketing ploy on their part. Blowing flames from one's mouth using a cigarette as an ignition source became a popular activity, as did entering flame throwing competitions in pubs.

"Mr. Otoma has no one to blame but himself. If he had not become drunk and disorderly, none of this would have happened. Our security guards undergo the most careful screening and training before they are allowed to deal with customers," said Mr. Takashi Nomura, Manager of the Tike-Take bar.

"Mr. Otoma drank fifteen bottles of hydrogen beer in order to maximize the size of the flames he could belch during the contest. He catapulted balls of fire across the room that Godzilla would be proud of, but this was not enough to win him first prize since the judgment is made on the quality of the flames and the singing, and after fifteen bottles of lager he was badly out of tune."

"He took exception to the result and hurled blue fireballs at the judge, singeing the front of a female judge's hair and entirely removing her eyebrows and lashes, and ruining the clothes of two nearby customers. None of these people have returned to my bar. When our security staff approached Mr. Otoma, he turned his attentions to them, making it almost impossible to approach him. Our head bouncer had no choice but to hurl himself at Mr. Otoma's knees, knocking his legs from under him."

"The laws of physics are not to be disobeyed, and the force that propelled Mr. Otoma's legs backwards also pivoted around his centre of gravity and moved his upper body forward with equal velocity. It was his own fault that he had his mouth open for the next belch, his own fault that he held a lighted cigarette in front of it, and his own fault that he swallowed that cigarette."

"The Tike-Take bar takes no responsibility for the subsequent internal combustion, rupture of his stomach lining, nor the third degree burns to his esophagus, larynx and sinuses as the exploding gases forced their way out of his body. Mr. Otoma's consequential muteness and loss of employment are his own fault."

At the time, in spite of the best efforts by the media, Mr. Otoma was not available for comment.

Point of reference: www.darwinawards.com

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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Responsible Visitor Charter

2011-11-23T10:07:00.011+02:00

The following information was forwarded to us via email as a PDF attachment, it’s called 'Responsible Visitor Charter':

Durban is working towards becoming a green event hosting destination: committed to continual improvement in hosting major events in a sustainable manner that protects and enhances the natural, social, and economic environment. But we need your help.

As a visitor to our City you can help to reduce the impact of tourism on our local environment by making responsible choices. Here are some ideas on how you can help Durban to become a more environmentally responsible destination, which conserves and protects its natural assets, and minimises its impacts on global climate change:

I understand that the majority of South Africa’s energy is generated from coal, a non-renewable resource, and that I must conserve energy where possible. I therefore commit to switching off all lights when I am not in the room, minimising the use of air conditioning, and turning off / unplugging appliances instead of putting them on standby.
I understand that Durban is situated in a water scarce region, and that I must use water wisely. I therefore commit to not leaving the tap running while brushing my teeth, taking shorter showers, adhering to the towel reuse policies in accommodation establishments, and supporting any other water saving initiatives.
I understand that the majority of Durban’s solid waste goes to landfill sites, and that I must reduce, reuse, and recycle. I therefore commit to avoiding overly packaged goods, drinking Durban’s tap water, which is safe to drink, instead of bottled water, reusing shopping bags, and separating my waste into the appropriate recycling bins, where they are provided.
I understand that vehicles emit carbon dioxide (CO2) which contributes to global climate change, and that I should give the car a rest. I therefore commit to walking, riding a bike, or using public transport whenever possible.
I understand that organic and locally produced food, drink, and arts and crafts, generally have a smaller carbon and ecological footprint than imported products. I therefore commit to making responsible choices about the products I use, and in doing so, also supporting local businesses and community development projects.
I understand that Durban is situated in an area rich in biodiversity, and offers tourists a wide range of outdoor attractions and experiences. I therefore commit to supporting the conservation of these natural areas by participating in outdoor experiences such as visiting a local nature reserve.

Name_________________

Signed________________

Date_________________

And finally, if you feel there is anything else we could be doing to make Durban a more sustainable destination, please submit your suggestions to the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department, eThekwini Municipality, Manisha Maganlal, maganlalm@durban.gov.za.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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A Unique Test For Eco-Eye

2011-11-21T19:36:00.001+02:00

My colleague Tanya and I met an interesting fellow by the name of Sven at the Green Expo in Cape Town over the weekend. Sven kitted out in bright yellow cycling attire and head gear that resembles a multicoloured Mohawk, set off for Durban on a bicycle to raise awareness of how our food and lifestyle choices are affecting global warming.

His bike has a battery unit which is charged using electricity in much the same way cell phone batteries are. The unit in turn drives a little motor attached to the front wheel limiting the amount of peddling Sven will have to do. He is aiming to arrive in Durban in time for Cop 17, we wish him the best of luck and hope that he makes it.

What is of particular interest to us, is that he is travelling with one of our Eco-eye Smart units which he intends to use to measure energy usage relating to his journey. He will activate the Eco-eye when charging the battery to measure kilowatts and cost, it also calculates CO2 emissions so we look forward to seeing what there is to learn from his data.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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The New Eco-Eye Smart

2011-11-18T16:02:00.003+02:00

Those who are familiar with our retail outlet at 40 Essex Terrace Westville, will perhaps also be familiar with our Eco-Eye product, an energy usage monitor manufactured in Britain for which we have the exclusive South African rights.

Eco-Eye is a wireless system that provides real time information on the amount of electricity you are using in terms of kilowatts, cost and your carbon footprint. This means you can instantly see the benefits of turning off electrical devices. Switch off the lights and unplug appliances and Eco-Eye will show you the immediate CASH SAVING impact of changing your electricity usage behaviour.

We are pleased to announce that the next generation Eco-Eye, Eco-Eye Smart, is now available and offers some impressive new features.

Smart allows you to set your own daily usage target – your attention is immediately grabbed by the on-board instantaneous traffic light load indicator which alerts you to excessive usage and the Daily Usage Target Graph which makes it easy to see if you are under or over your target. You can up your energy watching game to an even more advanced level by connecting to a computer with the optional Memory Card and USB cable or you can buy a complete Smart PC kit.

For more information visit us at 40 Essex Terrace or go to our Online Shop, where you are able to purchase it, without leaving home.

Ernest Roper
Regional Manager Durban

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Protect Against Spam

2011-11-16T12:35:00.005+02:00

I recently uploaded an article to masterbuilders.co.za for our training manager Victor Smith in which he requested that interested parties contact him via email. We gave his email address as victors(at)masterbuilders.co.za and shortly thereafter had somebody inform us that the email address we had provided was incorrect.

With regard to the ‘(at)’, it has become the accepted norm when placing an email address on the internet to replace the ‘@’ with the word ‘at’ in brackets. The reason is to prevent spam.

There are malicious web programs commonly known as internet spiders that search the web scanning for email addresses and when they find them, they automatically send out unsolicited data. Users are generally aware that when mailing, the ‘(at’) has to be replaced with ‘@’, however if one has to be realistic about it, there are probably masses of people who have never come across this before, hence the need for this post.

Something else to keep in mind ....

Unless you have a need for cheap Viagra and really don’t mind hearing about it ten times a day, it is unwise to place an email address in its proper format online. If you absolutely have to, replacing the ‘@’ with an (at) is a far safer way of going about it.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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Proposed Development Charge, Important Public Meeting - Today

2011-11-14T10:51:00.005+02:00

Proposed Development Charge on New Developments

The eThekwini Municipality is convening a meeting of interested and affected parties to a public meeting to discuss the introduction of a Development Charge which will be applied to all residential, commercial and industrial developments in the City and anticipated to come into effect from 1 July 2012.

The proposed Development Charge is a fee associated with the development process and is levied for the provision of the Municipal infrastructure required to provide essential services to a development. The service can either be provided by the utilization of surplus capacity in the existing Municipal infrastructure or by the use of new infrastructure provided by the City.

It is proposed that the Development Charges will be applied to all developments for which the approval of the City is required in any law, by-law, or scheme. These relate to land use applications for township development, subdivision applications, change in zoning and change of the use of an existing building.

It is claimed that the Development Charge will be levied in accordance with a City Council approved Policy and a By-law which is in the process of being finalised which requires the input of stakeholders.

The format of the meeting will comprise of a presentation by the city treasurer followed by questions and discussions. The meeting is to take place at 16:00 on MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2011

Venue: Luthuli Hall, City Hall, Dr Pixley KaSeme Street, Durban

Please note that they did request interested parties to RSVP by 9 November 2011 to Nicosha Haripersad, on telephone number 031 311 1135. Albeit that the RSVP date has come and gone, if you wish to attend, give her call perhaps they can still accommodate you.

Pieter Ruatenbach

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Our New Private Project Module

2011-11-11T12:45:00.003+02:00

Something new that we’ve been working on that I’m extremely excited about is our Private Project Module. It’s an application on our website that enables the general public to submit scope of construction work in order to allow members of the Association to view and to quote on it.

In a Nutshell:

The person submitting the project would have to follow four easy steps:
Register as a user
Click on Login to submit a tender
Complete the contact form and include a brief description of the project in the field provided.
Upon completion, to click on the submit button.

The web pages on which Private Project information is displayed, are password protected and only members of the Association have access to it. A list of open projects will also be emailed to our members on a regular basis to ensure that they are kept up to date with the most recent submissions.

While we have already gone live with this module, there are one or two cosmetic changes that are still to come, mainly to make it as user friendly as possible.

Click Here to View

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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CETA Project Proposals - Update

2011-11-09T06:31:00.003+02:00

In a recent article penned by my colleague and Association training manager Victor Smith, it was made known that CETA has an obligation to fund projects aimed at achieving the goals of South Africa’s third National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS 3) and its own objectives, as captured in its Strategic Plan.

The article also tells us that to this end; CETA has published a request for Project Proposals and that we encourage all our members and qualifying entities, to complete the Project Proposal Form.

Please Note:

For those who are interested in submitting proposals and may have seen this article in its original form, the date for submission has since changed. CETA has given a 14 day extension, the deadline has therefore moved from 14 November to 28 November 2011.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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2011 Excellence in Construction Awards - Pages Up

2011-11-07T10:43:00.004+02:00

As promised, the web pages relating to the 2011 Excellence in Construction Awards were uploaded first thing on Saturday morning and can be viewed on the following link:

http://www.masterbuilders.co.za/2011_awards.htm

Congratulations all winners who will no doubt enjoy the media exposure that always follows this prestigious event.

I would however like to make special mention of two award winners who do not yet feature on our Website. Both were non-entrant recipients and had we contacted them for photographs or data, it would have given the game away. With the construction winners, entrants had to submit a project overview along with images of their respective entries, making our target for Saturday somewhat more achievable.

The 2011 Award of Merit went to Graham Carver from Stefanutti Stocks and a special 110 year member award, went to Federated Timbers t/a Builders Trade Depot who have been members of the Association since 1901.

You will get to read more about these and other winners, in the days to come.

Ernest Roper
Durban Regional Manager

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WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU !