Ramaano Ramapela, one of the Marketing Management students in the honours programme at UP, was involved in several timber-related projects as part of his Services Marketing module under the guidance of Dr Michelle C van der Merwe in the Department of Marketing Management. Several opportunities arose from his work in this module, and he was invited to engage with the timber industry to share his experiences. He is delighted to share feedback on the resulting activities:
“On 10 September, I had the incredible opportunity to attend and speak at the
Timber Construction Conference 2024, a gathering of timber experts, architects, engineers and many more professionals passionate about sustainable building. My talk focused on the perceptions of timber construction in South Africa, a topic that needed to be activated within the industry.
Timber construction offers a sustainable alternative to traditional methods, yet it still holds a negative perception among South Africans. During my presentation, I shared how I grew up with a negative perception about timber and how that perception changed after encountering the timber-related projects in my Services Marketing module. I also discussed the impact it had on my beliefs – from sustainable living to sustainable thinking, timber construction focuses on reusing, recycling and reducing waste during construction.
Ramaano Ramapela presenting at the Timber Construction Conference
Rubbing shoulders with industry leaders and hearing their insights strengthened my understanding of how timber construction can play a pivotal role in South Africa’s sustainable development. The discussions were forward-thinking and had a shared vision of promoting timber as a reliable, durable, and aesthetically pleasing building material. I had conversations with people such as Jacques Cronjé (
Jacques Cronjé Architecture and Design), Belinda Boyd (
TerraVerta Habitats) and Samantha Choles (
Sawmilling SA), who invited me to speak at the Sawmilling Exco meeting on 8 October 2024.
At the Sawmilling Exco meeting, I presented my story to the executive committee, and they were extremely pleased with the University of Pretoria’s progress regarding timber promotion and sustainable living. This progress was also brought to the Green Building Convention, which some marketing honours students attended in November.
Reflecting on my experience, I am inspired by the potential to collaborate as a marketer with timber experts to find ways to educate South Africans and change perceptions about timber. I am grateful for the communication, market research and brand promotion skills that I acquired during my honours year, which prepared me to bridge a gap in the timber industry for South African timber suppliers and companies, as I am currently working with a timber building company to promote timber building and sustainable living.”
The Department of Marketing is very proud of Ramaano for representing Marketing education at UP.
Ramaano Ramapela presenting at the Timber Construction Conference
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