Green stoves for Oyster Bay

13 May 2014

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Umzamowethu community members with their stoves. With them are (seated from left) Ward 1 Councillor Zolani Mayoni, Willem van Rijswijck(Prism), Portfolio Councillor Phumzile Oliphant, Clive Pengelly and Kaneko Chauke of Prism Power, Umzamowethu Fishing Coop’s Sakhumzi Shoco and Kouga Rural Development Officer Malibongwe Dayimani (kneeling).

MORE than 50 community members of the Umzamowethu informal settlement at Oyster Bay received gifts on Monday to help beat the chill this winter.

The group each received a green energy stove, courtesy of technology company Prism Power and Kouga Municipality,

The stoves, produced by Prism , were given free of charge as a pilot project of the equipment. The stoves are designed to curb shack fires, which are largely credited to the use of paraffin stoves, wood fires and candles.

At the handover ceremony, Local Economic Development Portfolio Councillor Phumzile Oliphant said the municipality welcomed the programme as it partly resolved some of the challenges faced by people living in informal settlements.

“As we embark on formalising the areas, we are happy that there are temporary measures that we can bring to minimise the risks of fire and to introduce cheaper measures of cooking for our communities.”

“It is our hope to roll out this programme to all the informal areas around Kouga,” he said.

The stoves are operated using Methanol Protostar Clean Fuel and 250ml of the substance can sustain the stove for up to three hours.

The fuel is made from natural products such as trees and leaves, and emits only carbon dioxide.

Prism Operations Director, Willem van Rijswijck, said the stove was easy to extinguish and, in the unfortunate event of a fire starting, could be defused with a volume of water equal to a cold drink bottle,