Eccentric but magnificent
Sandy Grant | Wednesday November 1, 2017 15:12
This one I found in Ramotswa sometime in the early 1970s. I cannot believe that it still exists, at least in recognizable form. I have puzzled over this building trying to pin down the nature of its appeal and had to conclude that it must be the black of the very bold window surrounds against the white of the walls. But leaving the question of colour for the moment we need also to consider shape. It appears that the owner added two half rondavels to his existing rectangular home. It might be the other way around but it doesn’t make much difference. Joining round to straight is always tricky – which is almost certainly why it is only rarely attempted.
The result, in this instance, however, is distinctly eye catching. This is, of course, because of those two large wood frame windows and their pronounced black surrounds. But therein lies the puzzle. Window frames, whether of metal or wood, are rigid. They cannot go around corners. But somehow this owner has pulled it off presumably by flattening the two-frontage half rondavels. Unfortunately, this is not clear in the photos. But if he was obliged to do so in order to accommodate those windows, the end result would have to be something like a squashed pumpkin. It would be possible to do this if the walls, as is likely, were made of flexible compacted earth.
The visibly canted wall of the half rondavel and the out of true walls of the body of the building – a standard feature of the majority of traditionally made homes - indicates that this was indeed the case. With brick or cement blocks, it would be exceptionally difficult if not impossible. It is odd, though, that this building has such obvious appeal because so much about it is so hopelessly wrong.
The pitch of the roof, for instance, is far too shallow which would ensure that its life would be short. In addition, the galleys – the point on the roof where round meets straight - have been left without some form of reinforcing and would, as a result, have experienced tremendous wear and tear. In addition, it appears probable, perhaps certain, that the two gulleys would channel rain water and deliver it in front of the door entrance causing both inconvenience and even more wear and tear.
The building sits on a pronounced raised base, always a sensible feature, but it is not clear from the photo how far the roof projects and whether rain water would fall on the base or beyond it. But before taking leave of this building please take note of the hospitable lelapa and its wall which is surprisingly low but exceptionally thick.
From this one feature it is likely, even probable, that whilst the building itself might have been altered over the years, the lelapa and thus the home would have been one of Ramotswa’s originals. There might have been many of those features still visible in the 1970s but by now, all must have gone.