sammilandsman

Farmer Profile: Akhona Gxuluwe

Akhona, despite standing in between hundreds of rows of colorful, blooming pots, stands out. Her bright pink lipstick is her signature look, and her “it girl status” seems to signify everything a conventional farmer is not. A walk through the Kenilworth Shopping Centre would not allude to the growth happening just above its head. TheContinue reading “Farmer Profile: Akhona Gxuluwe”

Langa Farmer Profile: Thobeka Gacula

Thobeka Gacula stands, rake in hand, at the end of the N2 Gateway, in an unexpected site: a flourishing green farm. Situated next to the highway at the end of the district, the plants provide a stark contrast to the buzzing by traffic and playground-turned-dumping site that lines the road. The street used to beContinue reading “Langa Farmer Profile: Thobeka Gacula”

Langa Farmer Profile: Mavis Mngupane

Mavis Mngupane grew up, like many residents of Langa, in the Eastern Cape. But unlike many, Mavis has brought that same sense of small, homegrown agriculture community known in the East into a large, bustling city of the West. She introduces herself as Mavis from Butterworth, keeping her strong ties to home close to herContinue reading “Langa Farmer Profile: Mavis Mngupane”

Profile: Christine Uys

Christine Uys grew up in Athlone, a coloured town divided by a rail line, whites on the other side. She was schooled in the 70s and 80s, in ‘The Struggle’ (she holds up a fist with grit). She was raised to be an independent woman by her father, who thought her mature enough to introduceContinue reading “Profile: Christine Uys”

Langa Farmer Profile: Nonzaliseko Nkohla, Gantuntu

Nonzaliseko Nkohla, like many middle-aged women in Langa, introduces herself as a mother. “I am Nonzaliseko of Langa, the mother of three children, and a garden worker”. There is something powerfully nurturing about stating your foremost identity as a mother and a grower. And like any middle-aged mother, she later proceeded to outline how toContinue reading “Langa Farmer Profile: Nonzaliseko Nkohla, Gantuntu”