Sasolburg sisters the first to bring plastic brick to SA
Founded by sisters Kedibone (29) and Kekeletso (26) Tsiloane, Ramtsilo Manufacturing & Construction is the first company to bring the plastic brick to South Africa. The Tsiloane sisters own South Africa's first eco-friendly brick company which manufactures bricks using sand and recycled plastic. They were raised without traditional gender roles or limitations.
According to Briefly.co.za their father, Thabo Tsiloane, had a construction company, and they developed their interest in construction and building materials through helping out at the company, Thabo, was not surprised when his daughters wanted to venture into the construction business, and he even helped name their business.
The bricks that Ramtsilo Manufacturing & Construction makes are great at insulating noise, and their significant advantage over conventional bricks is that they are thinner and lighter.
“The reason we do what we do is that we know it will create sustainable jobs for people in our communities, and also, we help clean the environment with recycling,” says Kedibone. She says her sister loves green living, and this eco- friendly business solves the plastic waste problem while providing a sustainable housing solution.
Since starting their company in 2013 the sisters have come a long way and have worked on numerous projects according to w24.com.
“One of the most significant projects we worked on is the construction of low-cost housing, and the biggest order was delivered to a hardware store in Northern Cape. In October 2019, Kedibone decided to quit her auditing job and fully take control of the business, with her sister, who is currently studying civil engineering. “We only started with about R5 000, which we used for the prototype. Then the rest of the money came from my pocket since between me and my sister I was the one who was working,” says Kedibone. “One of the challenges that we faced and still are facing, is sometimes not being taken seriously, people questioning whether we would be able to deliver the work. We are not just black females, we also look young, so that creates a barrier.”
The Department of Trade and Industry has allocated R5 million for people to fund prototypes and Kedibone urges people to do as much research as possible. “People have no idea that there are competitions out there that can assist you financially,” says Kedibone adding that these have helped solidify their business.
