3) Dolosse
Created by Eric Merrifield, a harbour engineer from East Londeon, Dolosse are large, unusually shaped concrete blocks weighing up to 20 tons. They were initially called the “Merrifield block.” A Dolos resembles the knucklebones of a sheep and was first placed at the breakwater in the East London harbour. The structures are designed to break up wave action and protect harbour walls and coastal installations.
Today the dolos is used in over 100 countries around the world. The world’s biggest dolosse have been used to create the 2.5 km long breakwater that protects the new deep water harbour at the Port of Ngqura at Coega, 20km east of Port Elizabeth.
4) Q20
Q20 was invented in 1950 in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal by a Mr Robertson, as a product to displace water from the distributor caps on the old VW Beetle, which was notorious for stalling in wet weather. It was an effective water repellent, kept rust at bay, eased squeaky door hinges, and made it easy to release rusted or seized nuts and bolts. Initially he did not know what to call it but he told his neighbour that it certainly had 20 answers to 20 questions.
The secret behind Q20 is that it is heavier than water. Since oil floats on water, simply oiling the area will not resolve the problem. But because Q20 has a specific gravity of 1.154, it can displace water which only has a specific gravity of 1. Once Q20 is sprayed on water, it sinks to the bottom, where it acts as a water displacer and lubricant on the problem area.
Q20 is a solution to many of my problems when hubby is not around to assist.
5) Speed Gun
The South African-made speed gun, developed by Somerset West inventor Henri Johnson, was formally launched at The Oval in England during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
