Elsie Seletisha, a teacher at Batsogile Primary, loves the food garden at her school. A lot of time is taken up tending to the soil and growing crops.
“We decided to allow people to use our school yard for a food-gardening project to try to get people who live around the school to keep an eye on our premises. When people don’t have money to buy expensive things like meat they just take something from their gardens – whether it’s cabbage, tomatoes or morogo [spinach]. This project has created a good relationship between the school and the community. We are one, not only on education matters, but also on poverty alleviation,” says Seletisha.
Some parents complained that using the children to care for the vegetables amounted to child abuse. So, the parents took over the care of the garden themselves. But the learners still use the gardens as a learning experience.
Fifty-four year old Botha Falati, who has been unemployed ever since he was retrenched eight years ago, keeps himself busy in the school’s food garden project.
“If I can get people of my age who are interested in this project, we might be able to supply the local hawkers. Presently most people who are busy here are the aged and they’re only interested in using their produce for themselves.”
At Enkanyezini Higher Primary School in Phiri, Soweto, local resident Jacob Motsweneng spends a lot of time nurturing his plot.He helps keep an eye out for unwanted visitors at the school.
In her 80s, Violet Khumalo walks five kms three times a week to look after her two small plots at Phumuzile Lower Primary in Phiri, Soweto. She plants cabbage and spinach. “I never had a chance to go to school. In my youth, we spent most of our time looking after our parent’s farms. That is why even today at my age, you still find me ploughing the land. The food we get from here is fresher and makes us stronger. That’s why I have lived a long time.”