By Malebo Pheme
Ward 2 celebrated its residents at the Rubber Ndzengu Food Gardens Annual Competition awards ceremony. A key component of the ward’s dedication to food security and poverty alleviation, this project, supported by Councillor Ramie Xonxa, turns backyards into essential sources of income and nourishment.
Councillor Ramie Xonxa highlighted the core mission of the annual event, run in partnership with the Department of Agriculture. “We are empowering our residents to become self-sufficient. This program is a direct response to the challenge of poverty,” he said.
With the help of the provided tools and seedlings, thirty committed homesteaders created flourishing vegetable gardens. The programme encourages locals to sell their excess food to earn money for other necessities, use it to feed their families, and even share it with other community members. The top gardeners received useful gifts, such as new seedlings and necessary gardening tools, as an additional investment in their performance.
With his garden, Mfundo Draai took first place in the competition, followed by Mxolisi Mvemve in second place and Mninawa Mankonti in third.
Mfundo Draai’s win shows the power of perseverance. He said he learned gardening from his mother, and it has been his main source of income for more than ten years. “It’s not about winning,” Draai humbly remarked. “It’s about putting something on the table and having the means to help those in need.”
