District Six

By Tanya Olckers with technical input from Richard Craig of Greenfields Plumbing.

District Six is one of the most well-known historic landmarks in the Cape. Richard Craig of Greenfields Plumbing along with his team were involved in the revamp of this old section of the Mother City.

An exterior view of the development. All images by Terry February

The journey towards revamping and upgrading some of the homes in Cape Town’s District Six was a personal endeavour for Richard Craig, owner of Greenfields Plumbing. All the way back in 1966 his father, Rodney Craig, was among the first people of colour to be appointed as a plumbing inspector.

Rodney’s connection with the world of plumbing goes way back, even playing a role in establishing the Institute of Plumbers (Cape Town), which later grew into the Institute of Plumbers of South Africa that we know today. His son, Richard, would later go on to chair IOPSA Western Cape.

With these deep roots and proud heritage, Richard Craig felt proud to be involved in the mammoth task of repairing damage done to District Six as a result of forced removals, and recovery of lost landscape.

Back in the day, District Six was a vibrant hub, with many well-known and celebrated South African artists, writers and activists emerging from this community. After the dissolution of apartheid, communities that had been removed slowly began to return to the area.

Greenfields Plumbing was appointed in 2019 to take care of the upgrade, restoration and revamping of District Six. This project rolled on to be completed in April 2022, with a forced hiatus that came because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Camera inspection technology was used to ensure accuracy and to clean sewer lines at the site. Much of the original plumbing works required changes and alterations to ensure compliance. The scope of the project allowed the team to grow, develop, provide in-house training skills development, and later assisted in empowering woman in construction.

The aim of Phase 3 of the project was to develop and complete 46 terraced houses and 82 apartments, restoring the typical characteristics of the original District Six. In addition, each unit was kitted out with a full bathroom and guest toilet under the stairs. These were installed with Plumbline Amaro sanitaryware and Plumbline Cygnus mixers. Aerators were added to all mixers to reduce water use.

The project started off with a site assessment to work out costing and to compare with original BOQ. The target for the cost approval was repairs and additions to the homes. Long lead items and material deliveries were planned.

The team was provided with re-training to ensure quality control and quality assessment. During the construction period the Greenfields team could focus effort on training, having received significant support from suppliers. The team also engaged in skills development as the use of different materials allowed for team upskilling. They also managed planning so that the scale of the project could match their forward planning.

Now with the colourful homes complete, Richard Craig and the Greenfields Plumbing team can take pride in being involved in restoring a significant piece of South African history. For Richard, it is no doubt a full circle moment, adding his own unique stamp on a historic icon.

Serbco

PPR water reticulation

Geberit

HDPE waste reticulation

Plumblink

1700 x 700mm white Plumline Amaro contract bath (code: 34653) 500 x 410mm Plumline Amaro basins (code: 31227) on Plumline Amaro’ full pedestal (code: 31228)

Plumline Amaro box suite including pan and cistern (code: 31226) Plumbline Cygnus range of mixers

Kwikot

150 Litre 400 Solar B-rated HWC

Stainless steel drop in sink 860 x 435mm including 40mm waste and plug (code: SDI-860-SE)

Domestic Water reticulation / meters

We installed the external domestic water reticulation

A separate contractor was then appointed to install the water meters

Fire Reticulation

Also installed:-

Fire reticulation pipework 30m PVC fire hose reels

9kg Dry chemical powder fire extinguishers

Heat pumps

A separate contractor was then appointed to install the Sirac heat pumps

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