Whether it is a few bundles for a patch or a truckload for a new roof, our free service makes it easy to price Cape reed in Mthatha. Your request goes to a reed supplier serving Mthatha and nearby areas of Eastern Cape.
Cape Reed Thatch in Mthatha
Want Cape reed in Mthatha? Say whether it is for a roof or a ceiling, the size, and whether old reed or grass must come off first. Suppliers and thatchers who work with reed in Mthatha and around Eastern Cape can then quote, with transport shown separately where the reed travels far.
Want to know more first? Our Cape reed guide covers the options, what to ask for and what affects the price.
What to know locally in Mthatha
Thatching grass grows across the hills around Mthatha, and much of it is cut by hand in winter and tied into bundles locally. For bigger jobs, ask suppliers about bundle length and quality and how many bundles the cone takes. Treated gum poles and laths come from yards in town or along the N2. Ask for treated timber rather than untreated local poles, which rot and attract insects.
Thatch in Mthatha
Mthatha is surrounded by rondavel country. Across the rolling hills towards Qunu, Mqanduli, Libode and Tsolo, homesteads are built around round houses, and many still carry a conical grass roof, often thatched by local builders with grass cut nearby in winter. In town and in the newer suburbs, thatch is more likely to be a lapa, a guest cottage or a lodge chalet, and holiday places on the Wild Coast at Coffee Bay and beyond use thatch too. Summers bring heavy thunderstorms, and lightning is a well known danger in this part of the Eastern Cape, so a free-standing mast is worth real thought for any thatched building on high, open ground.
Typical Cape reed requests in the area come from:
- Homeowners: a reed roof on a Cape style home or a reed ceiling in the living room or lapa
- Guesthouses and B&Bs: reed ceilings and roofs on winelands cottages that guests come to see
- Game lodges and bush camps: reed ceilings in chalets and a dense reed roof on a main lodge building
Local tips for Mthatha
Asked for most in Mthatha: rondavel roofs and re-thatching, guest cottages, Wild Coast holiday thatch. Where the thatchers are: local rondavel builders and thatchers; larger crews from East London or KZN. A useful tip: ask whether a lightning mast can be added when the rondavel roof is redone.
Around Mthatha the largest group asking is homeowners, which usually means a reed roof on a Cape style home or a reed ceiling in the living room or lapa. Before you agree to anything: reed length, density and the thatcher's work. Getting a crew there: grass is often cut locally; crews and poles come along the N2 from both sides.
Service area: Mthatha and surrounds
Requests from Mthatha go to thatchers and suppliers that already serve Ngcobo, Libode, Qunu, Mqanduli, Tsolo, Viedgesville and the rest of the area. Say whether you want supply only or supply and install, and whether a site visit suits you.