Housing in Southern Africa

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November 2015
There has been greater residen-
tial demand for not only por-
table power solutions capable
of meeting heavier power require-
ments but for solutions which offer
dual charging capability (the ability
Residential demand for portable solar power
T he new development will roll
out 425 apartments towards
the end of 2015. Highveld Hor-
ticulture currently has three 4640 skid
steer loaders paired with the auger,
backhoe and bucket attachments
operating on site in Fourways.
“These versatile loaders assist
with a whole host of applications,
from acting as a wheel-barrow to a
ground-leveller, and fulfil many du-
ties on sitewith great efficiency,” says
Nerina Bezuidenhout of Highveld
Horticulture.
These duties include scraping;
soil and rubbish clearing; levelling
and paving; as well as planting posts
and rails that are required to corner
off the wetland areas around the
estate. “As the site is essentially a
large wetland, we couldn’t disturb
this area with hand-digging and
relied on the loaders instead of
Versatility and mobility
For maintenance of residential and commercial properties, Highveld
Horticulture has opted for Manitou’s Gehl skid steer loaders at a new
residential development in Fourways, Johannesburg.
heavier equipment to do this job for
us,” adds Bezuidenhout. The 4640
skid steer loaders are well-suited for
this kind of construction as they are
mobile enough towork in themidst of
other construction vehicles. They also
“pack a punch” large enough to han-
dle the high powered attachments
and large loads. “The loaders work
flat-out for 6 days-a-week, not only
inside the construction site but also
on bordering roads like Witkoppen
Road to make pedestrian pathways,”
says Zulu Wilson, Project Manager,
Highveld Horticulture.
The eco-sensitive site also re-
quiredmachines that guarantee zero
oil leakages. The Manitou range of
skid steer loaders complies with this.
“We have five skilled operators
to ensure that the machines run at
optimum efficiency while adhering
to the highest levels of safety. In ad-
dition, all our operators attended a
training course offered by Manitou
and are SABS certified to operate this
machinery,” concludes Wilson.
Highveld Horticulture has worked
at the upmarket residential estate
for the past 18 months, and will con-
tinue to ensure wetland integrity for
a further three years. Highveld Hor-
ticulture is currently using two 4640
skid steer loaders at other estates. ■
to charge on- and off-grid). Accord-
ing to Paul Hubers, founder and
Director of the Sungrid Group, “We
have seen an increase in demand,
particularly across the building and
residential estate market, where
diesel generators are used but are
no longer the preferred option due
to environmental concerns.” He says
thatwhile the use of diesel generators
as an alternative supply is a common
occurrence, this is no longer the case.
In fact, at many estates, office parks
and recreational sites the use of die-
sel generators onsite is no longer
allowed because of the noisy and
harmful effects on the environ-
ment. The Sungrid Group,
manufacturer and distributor of por-
table solar products, has continued
to expand their product range based
on consumer demand. “Initially we
offered products for light to medium
power requirements but clients pre-
fer products capable of meeting both
heavier and dual charging power
requirements (the ability to charge
the product both on- and off-grid).
The recently launched Ecoboxx
1500 is capable of providing 350 hours
of power. “It can support a small to
medium sized business during times
of load shedding, or other interrupted
power supply.”
For further information visit www.
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