Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read

15 August 2024

Two sisters from Sasolburg in the Free State were inspired by local waste pickers to play their part in keeping the environment clean, one brick at a time.

It all started when their father, a founder of a construction company, would take his two young daughters along to the site, sparking their interest in bricks. Kekeletso Tsiloane and her sister grew up and went on to study auditing and engineering, but their interest soon turned back to bricks. Realizing that the ‘biggest expense in construction is building materials’, the sisters had the bright idea to manufacture bricks from waste materials. Interacting with waste collectors was the first step to their business, and they learnt that the gruesome activity done by these men and woman, with no formal education or training and no set income, was a major part of the waste management industry.

In 2013, they founded Ramtsilo Manufacturing and Construction in their mum’s backyard. In 2017, they took their first brick, made out of 90% recycled materials, for testing. It was a winner, passing all SABS tests and standing up to the elements of weather, and they began manufacturing 6000 bricks per day. They quickly partnered with big companies to increase their capacity and grow their business, currently turning out out 50 000 bricks per day.

The Tsiloane sisters found many benefits to using recycled materials in manufacturing; like attaining a solid income and steady job for the waste pickers they partnered with, helping companies get rid of their waste, and reducing the amount of waste at landfills. Some of the challenges they faced were working with the waste pickers in order to formalize the work they do; separating waste at landfills; funding their SMME and learning about testing; and then the big setback of Covid-19. Valuable lessons such as gradual growth and diversification, individually and as a company, were learnt along the way. As Kekeletso concluded: ‘the privilege of having this interview’ plays a ‘pivotal’ role in an entrepreneur’s goal.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.