by Millicent Kgowedi
The second stage of the Siyakhana Food Garden in Johannesburg's Bezuidenhout Park on Thursday, 31 January. The food garden project was started in 2005 by the health promotion unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, in collaboration with several non-governmental organisations.
Among the guests was Khabisi Mosunkutu, the Gauteng MEC for agriculture, conservation and environment; and Wits's Professor Michael Rudolph, the director of the Siyakhana project.
Rudolf said, "The aim of the Siyakhana Food Garden project is to establish a model permaculture food garden system for food production, education, research and empowerment of the community (particularly women) through training, employment and income-generation opportunities."This will ensure and nurture the development of a sustainable and productive environment necessary for the improvement of the health, social and economic status of the inner city community," he said.
Thembeka Mwale, the chairperson of the project, also spoke at the unveiling, saying the project was a blessing to those who benefited from it."This garden is from God. It all started as an empty piece of land, hardly fertile. Me and a number of women started digging with our own hands and we never thought it would eventually look like this. God sent Prof Rudolph, who has helped us to make the garden what it is today."
He was proud of the project, saying that his department was always willing to partner with originations that enhanced agricultural activities. "What I've learned since I took this portfolio, is that women are incredibly focused when it comes to food gardening and providing food for the family," he said.
Explaining the project, Rudolph said that the second phase of the garden expanded on the success of phase one, in that it resulted in a dump site being transformed into a garden that produced vegetables, grains, herbs and fruit.
A pond to harvest, conserve and purify water was also established and a range of organic foods, which have the best nutritional value, were planted. About 15 people from the inner city were employed at the project, and a further 25 were formally trained.
City of Johannesburg