The Growing Timber Connections conference, Timber Construction Colloquium, and tour of the University of Pretoria’s Engineering 4.0 Timber Laboratory demonstrated something crucial: the supply chain from plantation to construction site is ready. This collaborative academic platform, driven by UP’s York Timbers Chair, connects commercial timber growers with sawmills, architects, engineers, and developers with the government and private sector supply chains.
Yet, a glaring gap became apparent. While we discussed realigning grading standards, the rise of eucalyptus as a construction material, the advantages of digital design tools and manufacturing solutions, we missed the elephant: How do we convince the specifiers and consumers that timber is uniquely viable and essential for Sub-Saharan Africa’s exploding urban population?
The current approach isn’t working. Poorly and slowly constructed brick and concrete homes sprawl across low-cost housing estates. Wood, plastic, and corrugated iron shelters built by innovative “township architects” and “kazi-economics” are temporary, highly flammable, and unsafe solutions that don’t create lasting livelihoods. These traditional materials cannot produce quality and desirable housing at the required speed or scale.
Timber can!
But only if we commit to a new mindset: prefabricated, modular, mass-produced components that are easy to assemble, environmentally resilient, safe, and creatively designed. The technology exists. The timber exists. The advocacy exists. Africa’s housing crisis demands timber solutions. What’s missing is action by the government and developers to lead by piloting a prefabricated mass timber housing project. We must make the case impossible to ignore.
Without plantation forestry, there would be no timber. This month, we join the forestry industry in celebrating Mondi’s transfer of the Ihluku timber farm to Imsebe Enterprises. As Nelly Ndlovu of Mondi Zimele notes, the partnership proves that “economic transformation and inclusive growth, when executed with vision and collaboration, can deliver powerful outcomes.”
Meanwhile, Sappi Forests reminds us that commercial forestry and conservation aren’t contradictory. Sappi’s inclusive indigenous tree programme is continuing its work of reintroducing rare species threatened by overharvesting and protecting natural forest patches while meeting the demand for traditional medicines.
Keep growing timber connections.
The purpose of this expression of interest (EOI) is to engage company profiles from interested parties who wish to participate in this tender for the provision of Enumeration, Growth & Yield Research and Quality Assessments in Mondi South Africa Forestry Plantations across the KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga region.
The scope of work required for the Enumeration, Growth & Yield Research and Quality Assessments above would include, but not be limited to:
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