Standing alongside Mathabang Lekhula-Legula on her 0,5ha vegetable farm in Welkom, Free State, it's hard to believe that the neatly lined rows of spinach, cabbage and onions were once nothing but a heap of rubbish. The land she farms used to be an open field that served as a dumping ground. The rubbish piled so high that neighbouring houses were hidden from sight.
The smell, the flies, and the constant growth of the heap was an eyesore and health hazard to the community. But today the land is a productive vegetable farm that feeds schools, funeral parlours, and households in Welkom, providing employment for 11 people, and mentorship to the youth.
At the helm is Lekhula-Legula, an industrious farmer who does not let opportunity pass her by. She grew up in Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, where she farmed with her father from the age of 12, tending to cattle and planting tomatoes, beans and cabbage.
Later, when she got married and moved to Welkom, where her husband worked on the mines, she couldn't ignore the lure of agriculture. She started with a small backyard garden, planting spinach. Word spread quickly, and neighbours began lining up to buy from her.
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