General News
South African Student’s Soil and Plastic Waste House Success Triggers Requests
What if a house could be built from the very waste that usually ends up in landfills?
That question became a reality for Matimba Mabonda, a South African chemical engineering graduate and MSc student at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
Mabonda and his team have completed a three-bedroom house in Ennerdale, Johannesburg, using natural soil alongside plastic and other waste materials. The project was designed to explore whether sustainable construction could also provide a more affordable alternative to conventional brick-and-mortar homes. More than 90% of the home’s walls were made from earth materials and plastic waste, according to UCT’s Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment.
The house took less than a month to construct and, from the outside, looks much like the conventional homes around it. After the pilot was completed, the team began receiving requests from people interested in having similar houses built. The project has since sparked broader interest in using waste-based building materials as a practical solution to South Africa’s housing shortage. The approach could also help reduce the environmental burden associated with traditional construction, while giving discarded materials a second purpose.
If the concept can be scaled safely and economically, waste-based housing could offer communities another pathway toward more sustainable and accessible homes.
For Mabonda, the idea was deeply personal. He grew up in a shack in Grasmere, Ennerdale, Johannesburg, where he saw first-hand the difficulties associated with South Africa’s housing shortage. After completing his chemical engineering degree at UCT, he joined his father, Ben, a contractor who had already built hundreds of homes.
Together, they began exploring how construction could become more affordable and environmentally responsible. Mabonda had also established LolaGreen, a start-up focused on converting waste collected from landfills and the environment into durable building materials. His original idea involved “lolabricks”, made using plastic and industrial waste without cement or water. However, the machinery needed to manufacture them proved too expensive, prompting him to explore earth-building technologies instead.
Soil and plastic waste became the building materials:
The pilot project eventually combined raw soil with plastic waste to create the materials used in the house. But turning ordinary earth into a suitable construction material was not as simple as digging it up and building with it. Mabonda explained that soil needs to be carefully analysed and tested to determine whether its composition is appropriate for construction. Different homes and locations can require different soil ratios, meaning the material has to be blended according to the desired building requirements.
For the Ennerdale house, the team incorporated plastic waste into the raw soil while ensuring that the structure remained sound throughout construction. The finished property contains three bedrooms, a living area, kitchen, bathroom and garage, demonstrating that waste-based construction can extend beyond experimental walls or small structures.
He described the house as naturally comfortable, remaining warm during winter and cool during summer, reducing the need for expensive air conditioning. The project therefore tackles several challenges simultaneously: construction cost, building time, waste management and the demand for housing.
Success of the pilot brought requests for more houses.
The first house was intended as a proof of concept, but its completion quickly created interest in scaling the idea.
Mabonda said LolaGreen had already received a significant number of requests from people wanting houses constructed using waste materials. The appeal is not only environmental.
According to him, the approach can be more cost-effective than traditional brick-and-mortar construction while also taking less time. His longer-term ambition is to help decarbonise the construction industry and demonstrate what can be achieved without relying entirely on conventional building materials.
The next challenge is certification. Mabonda is in discussions with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as he works towards obtaining the necessary certification for the company’s building approach.
TOI
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
To cushion the harsh impact of rising living costs, the Federal Government has approved a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, .
This was one of the outcomes of the conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Abuja on Tuesday, following renewed pressure from organised labour over the rising cost of living, workers’ welfare and outstanding agreements.
The government also approved the payment of peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
The parties did not agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage, but agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately.
The resolutions were contained in a memorandum of understanding signed at the end of the meeting by the Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
The document made public after the meeting was tagged: ‘Resolutions Reached at a Conciliation Meeting Held at Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Between the Federal Government and the Leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday, 27th October, 2026’, outlined agreements on minimum wage negotiations, transport support, outstanding allowances, health workers’ remuneration, tax relief and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.
The meeting followed an earlier conciliation session held on October 22, 2026, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address disagreements between the government and organised labour.
On the transport intervention, the document stated, “That transport intervention of Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000) commencing from November 2026 would be paid across all levels for a period of six months.”
The agreement trails high transportation costs and the prices of other essential goods following the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Organised labour has repeatedly demanded measures to ease the economic pressure on workers, including reductions in petrol prices, improved wages and the implementation of outstanding welfare agreements.
The memorandum also noted the NLC leadership’s concerns about the government’s handling of its demands.
Addressing the disagreement, it stated that the NLC leadership “expressed concern over the Federal Government’s attitude towards the above issues.”
It added that the Federal Government, in response, “stated that it fully respects the right of the Congress to advocate for improved working conditions for Nigerian workers, and is genuinely trying to address every aspect of it through a structured intervention.”
On the national minimum wage, the parties agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately.
However, the effective date of implementation remained unresolved.
The document stated, “It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. It should however be noted that there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.”
The disagreement leaves a key issue outstanding despite the commitment to begin negotiations without delay.
The national minimum wage became a major issue in 2024 when the Federal Government and organised labour negotiated an increase in the statutory minimum monthly wage from N30,000 to N70,000. The new rate was subsequently enacted into law through the National Minimum Wage Act.
The latest agreement refers to further discussions and the implementation date of the national minimum wage but does not provide details of the specific proposal under consideration or when the parties expect to conclude the negotiations.
The agreement indicates that while the government has approved some financial interventions, other workers’ demands remain subject to further negotiations, administrative verification or decisions by relevant government bodies.
“Trump… Please bring my son back to me. I am begging you for mercy.” And what Trump did when he heard those words… may bring tears to your eyes.
Her name was Malphine. She was 95 years old. A mother who had spent years waiting. Hoping. Praying. And one day… she finally got the chance to meet Trump. And stood before him. With all the strength she had left. And spoke the only words in her heart. Please. Bring my son home.
And Trump looked at this 95-year-old mother. Held her hands. And gave her a promise. I will bring your son home.
And Malphine held on to that promise. The way only a mother of 95 can hold on to something. When hope is all she has left.
Days went by. Weeks went by. And then one morning… the news finally arrived. Her son Marc was coming home. After years away. After years inside a foreign prison. After years of a mother waking up every single day, wondering whether she would ever get to hold her child again.
He stepped off that plane. And returned home. And when Marc’s feet finally touched American soil… Trump was there. In person. To welcome him. To embrace him. To look him in the eyes and say… welcome home. America has not forgotten you.
And in that single embrace…
Trump showed the world something that no speech and no rally could ever truly express: That America cares about its people. Wholeheartedly. Unconditionally. And never gives up fighting for them.
And today… I sat thinking about that story. And remembered every harsh word I had ever spoken about this man. Every judgment. Every doubt. Every moment I chose to look away. And I felt something I can hardly describe. Deep shame.
Because Malphine trusted Trump at 95 years old. With all the hope she had left. And he helped bring her son home.
Today… this is the side of Trump that so many people may never take the time to see.
Not the Trump in the headlines. Not the Trump on the rally stage. Just a man. Who listened to a 95-year-old mother pleading for her son. Worked to help answer her prayers. And personally showed up to welcome him home.
If this story touched your heart today… let God and every American reading this feel your .
And tell me honestly, in your own words — after reading this… can you still speak badly about President Trump? Because I truly find it difficult to do so. Not anymore. Not after hearing this story.
Sons of Liberty. Maga Movement
–Calls for NSCDC reforms, compensation for victims
By Son Tertsea, Abuja
Dehydration was cause of the death of the detained miners, the panel constituted to investigate the deaths of alleged illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, has stated.
The chairman of the committee, Jonathan Kure, while presenting the report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, , said the miners suffered acute respiratory failure.
He also corrected the earlier reports that 37 miners died in custódy, saying 33 miners were confirmed dead.
He said the miners collapsed after calling for water and were ignored by the personnel of the NSCDC.
He added that the detention room was overcrowded and poorly ventilated.
He said the miners were illegally arrested and detained, stressing that they were all detained beyond the legally allowed period.
Part of the panel’s report called for a total reform of the NSCDC as well as solicited compensation for the victims.
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