South Africa’s First Township Hemp House

On Friday 31 March 2017, in a landmark ruling, the Western Cape High court legalized cannabis for private use in South Africa.

Legalizing cannabis is a positive step because it makes it easier to grow and use hemp, a fantastic plant-based natural resource which has many uses, including being used for food, furnishings, fabrics, body products and as a sustainable building material.

In 2015 GREEN HOME teamed up with architect Oliver Wolf and Tony Budden from Hemporium and built South Africa’s 3rd hemp building for Yiza Ekhaya Soup Kitchen in Khayelitsha.  Not only is this only the 3^rd hemp house in the country; it is the first to be built in a township! The house continues to provide shelter and cooking facilities for Yiza Ekhaya and is a central space for the wider community.

Hemp is completely natural, hard-wearing and strong making it an excellent, environmentally friendly building material.  In addition hemp is non-toxic and provides good insulation. It’s cool in summer and can retain heat in winter – creating a perfect comfortable environment.

We hope that the decriminalisation of personal use marijuana is a step towards the industrial production of hemp in South Africa.  We encourage and support the use of sustainable raw materials wherever possible; whether it’s for making compostable food packaging or building homes.

See GREEN HOME featured in The Green Family Guide, The Big Issue and Food Focus.