A group of young men from Retreat has succeeded in turning a thoroughfare that was used as a dumping ground into greener pastures.
Leeroy van Rooyen, 30, and Damian Andrews, 29, along with three other friends, Melothian Andrews, 20, Mohamed Abubker, 28, and Joshua Adriaanse, 24, started the garden project in Beethoven Street in Retreat last month to try and beautify the
area and transform it from a dumping ground to a community garden.
Mr Andrews said the project was also initially started out of boredom. “We didn’t have anything to do during lockdown, so we decided to start the garden during the second week of the lockdown because there was a lot of rubbish laying there.
“We got donations of plants and we borrowed tools from the community to start. Since we started the garden there has been no dumping, so we hope to make the garden bigger, to plant more and to keep our area clean,” he said.
The men take turns watering the garden and make use of water from the nearby canal to water the garden but are hoping to get
donations of a water pump and pipe.
Anyone willing to donate plants, tools or garden equipment, can call 078 648 0367.