For unemployed residents in Meriting, growing vegetables has become more than a way to keep busy. It has become a lifeline for families struggling to put food on the table.
A community garden established in 2022 by 42-year-old Mannini Ntlaba is helping unemployed residents access fresh vegetables while improving food security in the area. The project brings together approximately 40 volunteers aged between 18 and 55, who grow vegetables for their households and the wider community. Among them is 34-year-old father of three, Ramsenyane Lefenya, who relies on the R370 Social Relief of Distress grant to support his family.
He says the grant is insufficient to cover his household’s needs, but volunteering at the garden means he can take fresh vegetables home regularly.The garden, which covers approximately one hectare, produces a variety of crops, including spinach, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, tomatoes, onions and maize. Its produce is also sold to residents at prices starting from R5, making fresh food more accessible to households facing financial difficulties.
Ntlaba says residents who cannot afford to pay are sometimes given vegetables, while others are allowed to pay later. The initiative also supports two local preschools through monthly vegetable donations and provides a space where volunteers share meals and support one another. For Lefenya, the benefits extend beyond the garden. The knowledge and training he has gained have enabled him to establish a vegetable garden in his own backyard, where he also shares produce with neighbours.
What began as a small garden following Ntlaba’s retrenchment has grown into a community-driven effort that is helping families access nutritious food, learn valuable skills and support one another through difficult economic circumstances.
Photo by Daily Maverick
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