Zimbabwean invents sadza cooker
Caz
A Zimbabwean has invented probably the world's first robotic sadza cooker,
which he calls a Gwatamatic machine.
Mr William Gwata, who earns a living from his machines, developed his first
machine in 1997 and since then he has developed several other similar
machines.
The machine, mostly used in canteens, operates like a robot as it has been
programmed to cook sadza on its own.
The machine normally operates as a closed system from start to finish and
has an accurate automated meal delivery system.
Mr Gwata, who has a Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry and Accountancy, said
the machine requires 95 kg of mealie-meal to cook 400 litres of sadza in 30
minutes that can feed about 500 people.
Demonstrating to The Sunday Mail how the Gwatamatic machine works, Mr Gwata
said the machine does not only conserve valuable energy but also facilitates
better hygiene.
Just by switching on a push button, the machine starts cooking sadza after
pouring maize meal from the hopper into boiling water.
Automatically, the machine starts cooking sadza up to the simmering stage.
Mr Gwata, a product of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, said
during the simmering stage the machine compares the preset time with the
actual reading in the pot and when the two are equal it cuts off the feeding
of the mealie-meal into the pot.
When it starts cooking, the machine indicates how long it will take to cook
depending on the type of mealie-meal that would have been used.
Mr Gwata further explained that the machine is capable of censoring the
quality of the mealie-meal.
"If the mealie-meal is of poor quality, the machine feeds more so as to
bring the same viscosity that is programmed," he said.
He said when there is a problem, the machine is designed to put the process
on hold until the problem is rectified.
If all is functioning well, the machine continues cooking indicating each
stage.
The stages appear on a screen in the following order - final thickening,
kneading and auto shutdown of the machine.
Mr Gwata has installed the desired thickening type of sadza in his machine
and it can be adjusted to meet the thickness desired by any intended
user.
"At first most people thought I was insane but now they have a better
understanding of how it operates and they are impressed.
"I don't even have a wife because I am married to my Gwatamatic machine," he
joked.
Mr Gwata said the machine has been well received judging by the number of
machines he has installed and the inquiries he has received.
He said the machine is available for rent on a monthly basis and he charges
$600 every time the machine is used.
"The machine records how many times it has been used and I multiply that by
600, which gives me the monthly charges," he explained.
Mr Gwata said it takes him about 10 weeks to assemble the machine.
He said although the machine is highly scientific any ordinary person can
operate it.
Mr Gwata, who did O-level at Fletcher High School and completed A-level at
South London College in the United Kingdom, said that he would soon start
working on a household sadza cooker.
Ron McGregor
political observer, has reacted to the news that a Zimbabwean has invented a
sadza cooker.
Far from being jealous, said the Prof, he was delighted. He felt that for
too long he had been the only person in Zimbabwe doing any inventing.
(Other than Pres Mugabe, whose inventive excuses were legendary, chortled
the Prof).
Vilakazi observed that if more Zimbabweans applied their minds to inventing
things - even for simple tasks like the cooking of sadza, it could only be
good for Zimbabwe in the long term. Zimbabwe's long term future lay in the
direction of industry and commerce.
Of course, the professor added, all the inventions in the world would make
no difference to the future as long as the country was being run by an
asshole its associated haemmorrhoids. He suggested that if someone could
invent a way to persuade Mugabe to depart, this would be of great benefit to
both Zimbabwe and the entire human race.
As things are, it doesn't help much to invent a sadza cooker when the
country was about to run out of sadza.
Caz <nos...@all.thanx> wrote in message news:3bd4...@quokka.wn.com.au...
walthur
~ Caz ~
Luminaries, within or associated with Zanu PF, are always pleased to take
credit for earth-shaking claimed achievements of their loyal kith and kin,
for as long as they can share lucrative results.
One of many Mugabe-like created myths is that sadza, like the US$ and
electricity, were invented under their one year old copyright laws.
The likes of these rewarding assets drop eternally from a few remaining
trees when shaken or cut down by Mugabe's heroes, for as long as he worries
about the real genetic infusion to his gracefully born successors.
Some reports suggest that veterans enjoy their newly accepted sustenance, as
gained from naturally processed sadza log-like residues, as pre-processed
and passed on by politburo members.
Heroes have not yet been trained to differentiate between mbanje, anthrax,
the HIV virus, rape, murder, plunder, booze, crime, and nourishment.
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W Hurley