As mountains of vullis pile up on the street corners of Lavender Hill, one man has taken it upon himself to clean up the area and bring beauty back.
Pastor Ivan Jones, 42, from Strandfontein, who runs the Revelation Ministries Church in the gang-ridden suburb, says he got the idea to change the landscape, after seeing residents repeatedly dumping their gemors outside.
“The dumps create germs and can make the little children playing around it sick,” Jones explains.
“The City of Cape Town encourages the dumping in our communities because they just come and pick it up each time.
“The people can’t expect the council to come and clean up after them. They need to get into the routine of throwing their rubbish in the bins around them.”
A year ago Jones and four part-time workers created a vegetable garden on the grounds of his church. It currently feeds about 20 families.
The humble garden produces a handful of different crops including gem squash, cabbage, carrots and potatoes.
Jones and his team have now cleared another piece of land along Hek Road where they have started working on their second garden, called Community Pride.
Brandon Simpson, 23, who is unemployed, says he can’t wait to see the final product.
“I had nothing to do during the day, so I enjoy helping out and working in the garden,” he says.
“I can’t wait to see what it's going to look like once it’s done.”
Jones and his team are now encouraging others to “create something beautiful”.
Ivan aims to clear more sites in Lavender Hill before helping other communities experiencing similar problems.