A fire-proof shack that would not go up in flames if a blaze was started inside‚ outside or near it.
This is the groundbreaking invention by Grade 12 pupil Gabriella Mogale of the Collegiate Girls’ High School in Port Elizabeth.
“I didn’t think my idea was good enough to enter into the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists‚ but my science teacher convinced me to enter. It didn’t seem compatible with all the other projects. You might not think it’s a great idea but someone else may see something in it‚” Mogale said.
“When I saw the Knysna fires‚ I thought ‘why hasn’t someone done something about this because for years‚ informal settlements have been going up in flames’‚” Mogale added.
This would also insulate the shack from the cold and heat‚” she said.
Asked about expense‚ Mogale said: “It is something that people can make themselves. The outside [which contains the cement mixture] may be a bit costly but it’s still affordable and the inside would contain just recycled material.”
While no housing project has approached her yet to perhaps expand on her idea‚ Mogale said she was convinced that this would improve people’s lives.
“I think we are on to something here‚” she said.
One would think that a brilliant mind such as this would think of venturing into the world of engineering but Mogale has her heart set on something else.
“I want to study actuarial sciences next year‚” she said.