Hi mr Papper, we do live in a beautiful country & KZN is always green, someone once said she's sure if one sticks a broomstick in the ground, it would grow here :) Just extremely hot & humid at the moment, we're back in Durban!
My son's cottage has a grass thatch roof, quite popular in Gauteng, possibly an abundance of material. Most game reserve lodges have thatch roofs as well. Very popular all over South Africa is a thatch gazebo for entertaining outdoors. Have a look at this link courtesy of homify for nice examples and also what it looks like inside. Excuse the adverts that pop up when you go there.
Enjoy your day!