Justice for Peace, a non-profit organisation and an initiative of the Roman Catholic Church in Klerksdorp, is recruiting residents of Jouberton and surrounding areas to establish and implement food garden projects.
Through these projects, residents will be able to cultivate their own food and also give surpluses to the poor.
The organisation said it came up with the concept of a communal food garden, after the realisation that Klerksdorp was steadily becoming a ghost town as mining operations shut down and business deserted the area leaving people jobless and without sources of income.
According to the organisation’s chairperson, Petrus Moshe, the communities were left to fend for themselves and this became very critical as unemployment was rising particularly among the youth.
“Companies encourage self-employment and occasionally make promises about local investment, but Jouberton is a sad story. The City of Matlosana is in disarray; every public building structure is in peril of being vandalised and becoming a white elephant.
“Buildings that are intended to generate cash and enhance the City’s economy are decrepit and in a disastrous state,” he said.
Through the project, seeds will be purchased and planted in the church yard and in the properties of willing neighbours. Then the vegetables and fruit will be harvested for the families and the rest shared with other poor people.
The organisation accused the government of turning a blind eye to the needs of the poor in the community and, therefore, has taken it upon itself to rectify the situation.
“We realise we’re not doing much, but altering one person’s life is better than doing nothing. What’s good about gardening is that it’s also therapeutic; it helps you cope with whatever is bugging you in your thoughts,” he said.
Moshe’s thoughts were inspired by a group of young men who were on drugs. “You see that area,” he said, pointing out a gathering of boys standing outside a dilapidated building “it’s turned into a haven for narcotics and illegal acts. That structure may have been used better by being turned into a youth centre.
“Another example of a neglected institution is the Klerksdorp Butchery. It used to provide work for Matlosana villagers, but it is now closed and vandalised,” said Moshe.
Many townships in Klerksdorp, like the rest of South Africa, have a high number of unemployed people, especially youth and producing a garden, according to the group, can help reduce that number.
