Community garden giving locals a chance

A neglected section of land along the Penzance Estate Greenbelt in Hout Bay — previously used for dumping and illegal occupation — has been converted into a community garden.

The project began two years ago when Wonga Lucas, owner of a tour company in Imizamo Yethu, saw an opportunity to repurpose the space, which caused headaches and ongoing concerns for the community with dumping and illegal occupation.

"I felt like I wanted to do something that could possibly go on to help the general public, and that is when this idea unfolded and I started implementing it right away with the support of others in the community," Mr Lucas said. "We spotted an opportunity for our area to benefit from, and that is why we acted."

During the land disputes in Hout Bay two years ago, the Wonga Tours Community Garden surfaced. "After doing a documentary about land evictions, I saw an opportunity to try to rewrite the narrative about vacant and neglected land," Mr Lucas said.

Using the motto "reuse, reduce, and recycle", he grabbed a few old mattresses and started building a fence around the neglected piece of land, and started the cleaning process.

"As a person who runs a company, I started using my tips and taking clients there and showing them what my dream was to start a garden there and again change the narrative of that particular space," Mr Lucas said.

He recruited unemployed residents to help with the work, paying them to prepare the soil and plant crops. The garden has since produced between 4kg and 7kg of spinach per month.

To support local health initiatives, Mr Lucas began providing spinach to TB and HIV health workers for delivery to patients unable to collect it themselves. As demand grew, distribution was adjusted to allow residents to request vegetables when needed.

"Spinach got too much, and we then decided to make it free upon asking permission and not only taking. Fridays and Saturdays were always when we got more requests for food," Mr Lucas said.

Hout Bay resident Rochelle Lacrosse said she made a point of stopping in at the garden for spinach and eggs weekly, but also learnt some valuable lessons.

"I started growing my own things at home, and I also used the stuff to eat. I am a single mother without a job. I have no choice but to make it work, and when you have things like that, it gives us survival tools," she said.

Another person who relies on the community garden is Edwin Phillips, who goes on the hunt for cans and valuable treasures littered around Imizamo Yethu and Hout Bay.

Mr Phillips said the Spinach always came in handy, but said the lessons being handed out were also key. "I might see something on the street that can help the garden, and I will pick it up, because the garden has taught me about the values of recycling and how things can be put to good use again," he said.

The community garden has recently introduced chicken farming, roughly producing about 20 eggs a week.

Mr Lucas is in talks with local businesses around Imizamo Yethu to place the free eggs inside stores for the community in need.

"They agreed to have a space in the shop for free eggs only when available," Mr Lucas said.

With the recent influx of youth as more people learn about the community garden, they have introduced "Petting Wednesdays" featuring the community garden's very own goats, geese, ducks, and chickens.

"We have petting Wednesdays and educational classes for them, as we are now seeing the impact on how they treat animals. One child who has autism is now a regular visitor, as it's now a part of his treatment. His mom says the first time he had laughed was when he picked up a chick and showed emotion," Mr Lucas said.

"Everywhere around is dirty except the garden space. It is a huge source of green therapy for our community, opening up the idea at community-invested businesses."

Should anybody wish to get involved or support the community garden, contact Mr Lucas at 084 453 6076.