Walls

THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MSINGA VALLEY

4.6 Structure

4.6.6 Walls

There are three general variations of wall construction as identified by Frescura, in addition to there being three specific approaches within the same techonolgy in Msinga. These are post and infill, the posts with minor saplings, and the woven sapling option (Frescura;1981:66). The Msinga examples tend to use the first and second variants.

The walls of the rondawel buildings are thus usually a framework of poles and laths with a rock or rubble infill. The vertical elements (umgodl) are usually of the more substantial 100mm0 Eucalyptus spp. (Blue Gum), or Acacia meamsiiand the horizontal lathes

(itingo) of 50-75mm0 Acacia meamsii (Black Wattle) or of horizontally split strips of Blue Gum.

The wall structureof vertical posts and cross members is packed with an infillof stone and mud mortar (photo:author 2000)

The poles form the vertical framework at about 800mm centres sunk in a shallow trench of about 500mm. Around this framework, the lathes are horizontally bound, at about 150mm centres both inside and out, with a gap of 100mm and a total unplastered thickness of about 250mm. This gives a double layered gap into which rubble can be packed. This cavity is then filled with

available materials, mud balls, broken bricks, stones, depending on the immediate environment, economic circumstance and social contacts. Mud may be inserted in the vertical joints if available and if needed, but cement is being used more and more often.

There appear to be three local approaches to the infill method, and no hierarchy has yet been identified. The rubble and mortar style, where stones of unequal size are used as infill, a system whereregularly sized rounded river stones are used, and a third where the local ecca shaleis packed in courses (Homestead VI).

The methods are not area specific, nor building type specific, as the entire range is found across Homestead VI for example.

There was no mixing of technology within one hut.

The walls are then plastered with a mud or cement plaster up to the beamfilllevel, or sometimes only as far as lintol height. The high annular shoulder below the beamfill level is often left unplastered, or else is plastered and painted a different colour.

Vertical joints may be left open to allow free passage of air for ventilation. Often, prefabricated commercial ventilation (iventilator) units are put in at this level and are perceived as prestige items, a sign giving a symbol of modernity. (They may only occur on the outside). In addition, these form a practical function in buildings without windows, allowing for a measure of passive cross-ventilation.

House built of the popular mock ashlar, made downat^{the rivers}

(photo;author:2000)

It is becoming more common, especially with contractor-built houses, to use concrete block, or, as mentioned earlier, the mock ashlar blocks (M140) which are popular and made down at the rivers' edge. They are usually stretcher bonded and may be characterised by fancy raised pointing, but generally have a ruled treatment.

The need to plaster buildings seems to have arisen in recent years, as the possible Sotho progenitors as shown by Walton (Walton; 1956:fig 88) show walls remaining unplastered. This leads to a discussion on levels of prestige, where the sleeping huts are generally plastered both internally and externally, and the cooking huts are usually left unplastered, or may be plastered internally. The cost of procuring rare plastering mud (Alcock;pers.comm:2001) or cement is not justified in a fully plastered kitchen hut. The women intervewed generally state that they plaster and paint as a matter of taste.

. 4.6.7 Floor (iphansi)

The floor is highly polished and, as Mabaso says, is preferably made from a clay procured from Mthembu territory (Mabaso;2000:

pers.comm). In traditional Zulu building the floor is formed of mud and ant heap, and polished highly with stones using repeated applications of cow dung. Knuffel states that the amaNgwane huts are not finished off with cow dung, but that a juice made from the indigenous iGudu (Hypoxis oligotricha) is applied to shine the floor (Knuffel; 1973:45). This acts as a sealant to the charcoal stain. He also states that red doleritic soils are chosen for the floor as they get hard. The clay mixture is left to dry and crack,

with the cracks being repeatedly filled in with more mixture. Once it is totally dry, a liquid mixture of cowdung and water is polished on the floor and the mucus in the dung aids in binding the clay (lbid:45).

Bryant's⁴⁶ much earlier observation differs, with :-

'Once a week the whole floor of the hut was smeared (ukuSinda) with a thick dilution of cowdung and water. This was a girl's job..>47

(Bryant; 1967:204)

Ukusinda was being executed at Homestead VI during our interview. On questioning, we found that this is only smeared on when needed, and not as regularly as Bryant's comment. A wet slurry of cowdung and water was being used.

Alcock has observations of a slightly different recipe (Alcock; 1975: 1):-

46The reference quoted is a reprint of a work printed originally in 1949.

47 Baines noted in 1866; 'the floor is nicely clayed with a compost of 'kraal mist' or cattle dung and the fine clay of anthills broken up and well mixed' (Lord et at; 1975:246)

'We were invited to look round

a

new hut, almost completed.

Thump, thump, thump went

a

rough wooden block,pounding cowdung, limestone and mud to make

a

marbled floor. It was warm underfoot. The walls were made of stone slabs, plastered inside with mud, brightened with ochre.'

Frescura shows a photograph of the floor of a hut in Msinga where the whole floor area has had pebbles inserted as a base to the cowdung covering (Frescura; 1981: 142). This underfloor structure has not been evident in questioning.

Nowadays, the majority of buildings have concrete floor slabs or cement toppings. This is only practical, as the cowdung encourages the attraction of termites. Concrete slabs do not have the maintenance implications that the traditional mud and cowdung floors have.

Generally the floors are left uncovered with a bare concrete screed, and usually the traditionalicansi are used as sitting mats.