Eco charcoal boosts SA’s water security

The global outcry against the use of braai charcoal produced from rainforest trees, which leads to devastating forest degradation primarily in South American and African countries, is boosting the demand and production of eco-friendly charcoal certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), made from ideally suited hardwood invasive alien plant species in southern Africa.

Invasive alien plant (IAP) species cover at least 10 million hectares of land in South Africa and are responsible for taking an estimated 6% of the country’s fresh water annually – about 3.3 million m3 – according to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF). Removing invasive species has been a DEFF Working for Water programme since 1995 at a current cost of about R1.8bn per year, but the programme needs added impetus to deliver significant value to all stakeholders, from local communities to the country as a whole.

The impetus is happening. On the hills of the Eastern Cape, about 30km from Matatiele, a consortium of seven small businesses are well on their way to building an eco-friendly charcoal production business, for the first time on tribal communal land in South Africa. The SMMEs are Emabhaceni Development & Nature Solutions and Sivuyise Trading Enterprise from Colana; Mosia Heso Trading Enterprise and Mtumtum Enterprise from Madlangala; Mandilam from Mvenyane, Morumotsho Charcoal Production from Nkasela, Eco-char from Hebron, and Mrhulashe Trading Enterprise from Mngquna in the KwaBhaca area.

The FSC-certified charcoal project has a robust contingent of organisations behind it, managing, developing, monitoring and supporting it every step of the way. These include Avocado Vision’s Green Business Value Chain (CBVC) as project managers; the globally renowned FSC; CMO Group Scheme, which works with FSC in an auditing capacity; Environmental and Rural Solutions (ERS); Conservation South Africa, Lima Rural Development Foundation, and DEFF.

In September, the first restaurant quality eco-friendly charcoal was produced in two of a planned bank of 25 kilns that will be set up in the area by the partnership of SMMEs and organisations. The wood for the charcoal is invasive biomass from the vast swathes of black and silver wattle trees that are devastating the area’s water table and ecosystem.

Jules Newton, GBVC Programme Director, says, “Reaching the charcoal-testing stage of the process was a proud and exhilarating experience for all the project partners, and probably most particularly for the entrepreneurs. Every process is eco-responsible, from the way the invasive biomass is removed and delivered to the production site by newly trained teams of workers, to the kilns and production process.

The investment of time and energy, finances, and learning, and the commitment to succeed by every participant has been huge throughout this journey – and producing A-grade charcoal in our pilot phase has been the encouragement we need as we tackle the next phases.”

Newton believes that a key factor contributing to the success of the project is the intense training, development and support that the SMMEs are given by all the partners throughout the processes, and more particularly by Avocado Vision.

“The SMMEs are all brought into a virtual incubator by Avocado Vision, which supports the businesses throughout their growth, making sure that foundational business basics are in place, and that they’re empowered to succeed in a sustainable way. “We know there is enough invasive biomass to ensure continued charcoal production for probably decades to come, but these small businesses are gaining skills that will enable them to branch out into other business ventures should the removal and value-adding of invasive biomass no longer be viable for them,” Newton adds.

GBVC is working with a total of 121 entrepreneurs and with partners, under the auspices of the DEFF, in several locations around the country, training the SMMEs in financial and business basics, in effective removal of invasive biomass in their communities, and in identifying and starting businesses that add value to the IAP wood – charcoal, timber, furniture, artwork, pulp, paper, firewood, mining and construction poles. The goal is to drive a strong invasive biomass economy by boosting demand for it right through the value chain.

The next steps for Team Matatiele Charcoal are already being taken. The remaining kilns are in the process of being installed or manufactured, training is continuing, and markets – local and international – for top grade charcoal that would satisfy the most discerning braai-master’s every demand are actively being sought.

www.avovision.co.za

Atang’s charcoal highlights

Entrepreneur Atang Ramabele (26), owner of Morumotsho Charcoal Production, is one of the seven SMMEs working together on the Matatiele Charcoal project.

He says, “The progress we’ve made is very valuable – we deliver quality work because of our access to excellent training and resources, which also means we understand the impact that the project is having on the environment. Working with teams, we clear the wattle according to environmental standards to ensure regrowth of the grasslands. We dry the biomass and then burn it in a kiln to produce restaurant-grade charcoal.”

Ramabele says the training by Avocado Vision gave the SMMEs a firm foundation in business management. “A highlight for me is now being able to identify and assess the feasibility of opportunities for my business in my area.” Looking ahead, he anticipates the expansion of the Matatiele charcoal business into new global markets, including Europe.

As a young boy watching his mother prepare family meals, Zacharia Maseko could never have imagined that one day he would be appointed Executive Chef at Sun International’s Wild Coast Sun resort.

Maseko’s appointment on 01 October was the culmination of a culinary journey which started as a buffet builder at the same four-star beachside resort 34 years ago.

With opportunities slim on the ground, the matriculant, who was born in a township near Port Edward just a few kilometres from Wild Coast Sun and grew up in Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, was soon hired on a full time basis.

“I liked cooking as a child but until I arrived at the Wild Coast Sun, I didn’t think I could make a career out of it,” Maseko said. “I used to cook with my mother, things like steam bread and samp and beans, but culturally, men did not belong in the kitchen.”

He soon turned this idea on its head as his career took shape. “In 1988 I became a kitchen handler as management could see I had a passion for the kitchen.”

In 1994, Sun International sponsored his threeyear Catering Management Diploma at the Durban Institute of Technology (Now Durban University of Technology). Since graduating, Maseko has worked his way around the kitchen, first as demi chef and then as the relief chef, learning the ropes of the full kitchen and reporting to a sous chef, before becoming one himself. His last role was executive sous chef, a position he held for eight years.

Along with Chico’s, the main restaurant and Driftwood, the ala carte restaurant, Maseko is also in charge of food in banqueting, Prive, and main casino floor as well as the golf club. Asked if he felt nervous about taking control of a brigade of more than 30 staff, Maseko said he had held the reins while the previous incumbent was on leave, or working at another property. “I have always been fully accountable and I’ve been developed for this position for the past five years. I am ready.”

In the past few years, Maseko believes there has been an increased focus on sustainability and healthy eating, saying more people are looking for plant based foods instead of meat and are keen to know more about the source of their meal, such as how it was grown or reared and transported. “I am passionate about sustainability and seasonality. The freshest, highest quality inseason ingredients elevate dishes from ordinary to world class.” And when it comes to fresh, the kitchens at the Wild Coast Sun are spoiled for choice with an expansive on-site garden that delivers fresh vegetables and herbs right to their chopping blocks. Surplus vegetables are also sent to local soup kitchens which provide meals for about 900 school children.

Chef Maseko’s favourite meal to cook for himself is a stir fry. “It is an easy dish to make, the ingredients are fresh and it can be assembled quickly.”

“Lamb chops is one of our guests’ favourite dishes - many of our clients are from the Indian community so they enjoy any lamb dish as well as our curries.

One ingredient which he cannot cook without, is onion. “You need one when you make salad, when you cook your hot food, when you make a sauce. I am not a pastry chef person; I am a hot kitchen chef.”

While his recent promotion is a feather in his cap, Maseko recalls his proudest moment as being when he was a sous chef, and, along with his team, was called in for a standing ovation after a Valentine’s Day function with several VIP guests.

He is inspired by the Victorian chef Auguste Escoffier, a Frenchman who left a legacy of culinary writings and recipes that are indispensable to modern cooks. “Today, Jamie Olivier is engaging and fascinates me.”

Closer to home, he credits three chefs he has worked with who have had a profound influence on him and have contributed to his growth - Johan Szabo, Gary Hastings and Chris Reedoy. “They loved what they were doing and were passionate about it.”

But despite his global culinary interests, for this Wild Coast homeboy home is still best. Although he has worked at Sun City, Maseko says he remains at Wild Coast Sun because the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is where his home, his heart and his family are. He has been married to Nelsie for the past 25 years and the couple have four kids.

www.suninternational.com