Martin Maupa from Steelpoort, Limpopo, has won top honours in the Artisans of Mzansi awards’ Innovation category for his ferro bricks, which he manufactures from mining waste.

The 29-year-old owner of Maupa Engineering and Growth Edge hopes the win, which comes with R100 000 prize money, will facilitate the breakthrough he needs to commercialise his business.

He dreams of his ferro bricks being available at stores such as Build it, Cashbuild and Builders Warehouse.

“The recognition will accelerate my plans to have my bricks approved by the South African Bureau of Standards,” says Maupa.

“This will be followed by the automation of manufacturing, which, in turn, will increase capacity, which ultimately will lead to greater responsiveness to retail demand.”

Maupa says that while mining has created high economic value in Limpopo, it has also left his town and surrounding areas with the waste accumulated from the mining process.

This raised the question whether this waste could not be used to manufacture building materials for the often struggling communities in and around the province’s mines.

“The answer to this question was our business. We manufacture bricks from chrome mining waste, and sell processed mining waste as a substitute for conventional sand for preferred construction applications.

“We get the waste for free and pay for transport from the refinery/wash plant owners.

“We are a youth-owned circular economy business that focuses on providing affordable housing solutions to low-income community members, stokvels and local hardware stores,” he adds.

Maupa Engineering and Growth Edge operates from a small-scale brick yard in Gaphasha Village.

“After winning, we were also selected in the Fix Forward Cement Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, which assists young entrepreneurs in the building construction and brick manufacturing industry with innovative ways on how they can reduce the cost of cement through using waste material, developing eco-friendly solutions and producing high durable and affordable building materials.”

Artisans of Mzansi is a yearly national competition seeking to change the negative perception around trade careers. It is powered by Allan Gray Makers.

Winners are announced as part of the South African National Artisan Awards.