My Shack Is My Castle

Self-taught builder Fernando created a luxurious home in the middle of an informal settlement using recycled materials. He tells us how he did it

- Bulelani Dyomfana 

From the outside it would be easy not to give the house another glance.

It’s built on top of a spaza shop amid the sprawl of shacks that make up Joe Slovo Park informal settlement in Milnerton, CapeTown. And it looks like just another corrugated iron home.

But stepping into Fernando Mucavele’s abode is like entering a boutique hotel. There’s a recessed ceiling, lit by carefully concealed remote-controlled LED lights that cast a colourful glow on the queensize bed.

Four pristine white pillars frame the perfectly made bed with its scatter cushions and meticulously rolled towels.

The floors are finished with light oak laminated strips, and neat built-in cupboards discreetly flank the bed, while the bathroom boasts a rainfall showerhead and a gorgeous glass washbasin.

The compact kitchen has gleaming countertops, a glass-top stove, dark wood cabinetry, and an envy-inducing double-door fridge.

Fernando’s Palace, as the proud homeowner has dubbed his impressive dwelling, is testament to the 32-year-old Mozambican’s skills as a self-taught builder, plumber, tiler, electrician and interior designer.

He may not have much education, but he’s gifted, Fernando says. “God gave me everything.

“I never went to school at all – I can’t even write. I’m just a fast learner. If I don’t know how to do something, I look at how someone else does it and I teach myself how to do it.”

His neighbours might be impressed with his beautiful home now, but when he started his project people laughed at him. “They thought I was crazy. They didn’t believe I could do it,” he recalls.