Urban farms in Joburg are a jolly good idea:
Johannesburg’s gentle winters means its residents can grow food there all year round, say Anique and Jonathon Pinkhard, who farm in the suburb of Albertskroon.
Their business, the Jolly Good Farm, began in the communal garden of their block of flats. Once the couple started selling vegetables to friends and family, the demand increased and now the business pretty much supports them.
“We started growing some micro-greens on our balcony, but we didn’t know what we were doing really. We found some innovative stuff on the internet and bought some books, and that’s how it started,” said Jonathon.
The couple then asked the Portuguese Welfare Society in Albertskroon if they could rent land that was used for parking, rustled up some friends and started an urban vegetable garden.
It took them about four weeks to prepare the land, because the ground was filled with building rubble. After a year, they expanded the garden to about 500 square metres. The couple worked hard between their day jobs — he’s a videographer, she ran a rusk company — getting up early before work to garden and again in the evenings after work. But after about two years, it became a sustainable source of income.
From the get-go, they decided that everything they produce and use should be 100% organic; they make their own compost and don’t use fertilisers and pesticides.
News about the Jolly Good Farm spread by word of mouth and through their Instagram account, and soon Anique was fielding more and more calls and WhatsApp messages from people wanting the boxes of veggies that she delivers to clients’ doors.
Unlike many careers, where trade secrets are jealously guarded, the two believe that it will never become a competition, and have found that most of the farmers they meet are happy to share their knowledge.
The couple said there are not enough people farming in Johannesburg, and if more did it, it would quickly become a communal practice.
It was common for people in urban areas a few generations ago to grow their own vegetables, but today there seems to be a mindset that digging in the garden and getting your hands dirty is somehow “inferior”, the Pinkhards said.
“Time has become a precious commodity: there’s a gap between you and your food created by supermarkets, a global phenomenon that most of us have bought into because of its convenience,” the couple said. Breaking the chain of going to the supermarket to get food does require hard work, some space and some compost — but it is rewarding.
To grow all of your own food requires a fair amount of space and a fair amount of planning, says Jonathon. It helps to have spreadsheets, plan well, and know what’s going on with the weather. The richer your soil, the higher the nutrient density of your crops.
“We always joke that since we started eating our own food, we eat less, because there’s more in it.”
He adds that the more correct ingredients you have in your soil, the less space you need.
Making your own soil that supports successful vegetable growing does require some knowledge, but Jonathon said this information is available on the internet.
Soil is full of minerals, so you just need to set the biology in motion through compost, compost teas, fungal networks and mulches to break the soil down and make the nutrients available to the plants, which “allows nature to do its job” and feed the plants.
Anique believes that growing your own food is to some degree instinctive, and once you start, you quickly learn how to do it. “I would say to home growers, just start, you’ll be fine. It’s very inspiring, and even if there are only two veggies that you can grow to start with, let that be your guiding light.”
Anique has started consulting for a farm in the Magaliesburg area, but she also wants to work with people who are already growing or wish to grow food in their urban gardens and help them set up their gardens the correct way.
“Often it is about the sun, as some beds don’t get enough of it, and I also want to teach people about creating and maintaining their soil and their compost. I want to make it fun and accessible for those who are getting started.”
Johannesburg has a history of growing food, and suburbs such as Sandton and Orange Grove were once orchards that fed the goldfield mine workers. There are a lot of rocky areas in the city, but the soil is very good.
“We found when we dug here that there were lots of bricks and tiles under the surface, but in general the soil is really good quality,” says Jonathon.
It’s also easy to regenerate or improve the quality of the soil in your garden, and perhaps also on your sidewalks and in parks, to “give nature a helping hand”. Ideally one should grow plants that are not only edible for humans, but those that are good for insects and birds, too. When you create a working ecosystem in your garden then you don’t need insecticides, because a balance is created.
Asked about the role of the city council in urban farming, the Jolly Good Farmers said they know of initiatives here and there, but most of the government’s focus is on large-scale projects that use chemical insecticides and fertilisers. In addition, government projects often don’t take into account the specific needs of each community; instead it applies generalised principles that are disconnected from what’s happening on the ground.
“Our philosophy is that the community needs to take ownership and start growing food themselves, without waiting for the local council or the government. There is enough water and enough land for Johannesburg to become self-sustaining.
“If the movement becomes big enough on its own, from the community first, then perhaps the government will sit up and take notice,” says Anique.
Jonathon believes that although places like Albert’s Farm are known as green lungs and are better left in a wild state, there are many other spaces that could be used for growing food that are presently lawns. While grass or weeds are better than bare soil, grass requires mowing, it can’t be eaten and there are so many people who need food.
“What could be useful is if the government makes green spaces available, in a similar way to the allotment set-up in the UK. This space we have created, for instance, could be divided into allotments for 10 households, which could then grow and barter and trade.”
The greatest enemy the Jolly Good Farm faces is weeds, says Anique. They can become competition for your vegetables, particularly if you don’t stay on top of them, but they are there for a reason — to cover and bind the soil.
Weeds help to pull nutrients from the soil and bring it to the surface, so they are good for the soil, and, by identifying which weeds are growing where, you can use them to guide you about your soil: is it too compact, does it lack certain nutrients?
Introducing chickens has helped control the weeds, because weeds are their favourite food.
“We are starting to look into this stuff more deeply. Weeds may feel like an enemy because controlling them is a lot of work, but they also have their place,” Anique said.
Insects are less of a problem because the Jolly Good Farm grows a variety of vegetables (some in tunnels), which helps to keep a balance. “We use many permaculture principles, but are not fully permaculture based.”
Anique said she plants a crop such as lettuce in a few different places, and if it gets eaten by insects or slugs in one place, the other patch will usually be fine. They also use crop rotation, which keeps the plants strong, so even if there are insects, they can resist them.
“It’s good to keep your garden a bit wild; we let our coriander go to flower after two or three cuts, and that attracts wasps and bees, which often eat the bugs that are starting to cause problems. So you bring nature in, and it keeps a balance.”
This is the first story in a series on urban farming in Johannesburg. Watch this space.
It’s the telephone directory election:
When the number of parties potentially contesting the national and provincial elections started to head into the hundreds, it seemed as if we were headed for a DStv election: hundreds of channels and nothing to see. But, after the successful constitutional court challenge to the requirement of a huge number of signatures for independent candidates cut that to 1??000 signatures, the possibility shifted to a ballot the size of a telephone directory.
While the target shifted for independents, parties not represented in parliament still have to obtain signatures adding up to 15% of the quota for one MP in every province where they want to contest, for national and provincial elections.
This signature requirement was originally intended to thwart huge numbers of independents from running; cutting the requirement for independents to 1??000 signatures undoes that.
But it is much more onerous for national campaigns because an independent runs in a region (effectively a province, but renamed, as it is a ballot for the national parliament, not the provincial assembly). Parties not yet represented in parliament have to obtain the number of signatures required in every region; if they miss any, they miss the opportunity of votes on a regional ballot.
This matters because the national vote is split equally between a single national ballot and a regional ballot per province.
The total number of signatures required is not easy to find; it was about 107?000 to contest all regions, and signatures were also required to contest provincial legislatures when I first checked but now I see reports that the number is “only” 60?000.
A practical issue for gathering signatures is that only registered voters’ signatures count.
Any party capturing signatures not only has the enormous task of doing so, but may have to go out searching for more signatures when some turn out to be invalid.
To put these numbers into context, the eight smallest parties currently in parliament got there with less than 100??000 votes and four of those parties scored fewer than 60?000 votes. None of them face this signature requirement to run again.
A possibly unintended consequence is that parties that are not strongly organised have been eliminated. While this is undemocratic and unfair in that disorganised parties already in parliament do not have this hurdle, it has another unintended consequence.
The new parties still in the fray have had to start early with getting their ground game organised. It is a misconception that poll outcomes largely rest on rallies, speeches, TV coverage and policies. A strong ground game matters.
For this reason, the registration process could result in some surprises. It’s worth watching the new players, as well as those not previously successful at national level who have managed to meet the signature requirements in all or at least most regions. Examples include Forum 4 Service Delivery, which was previously only successful at municipal level, and Rise Mzansi.
A bigger issue that really calls for electoral reform is the incompatibility between a closed proportional representation (or PR) list and independent candidates. A closed list takes the choice of candidates away from voters; the party decides on the order. On the other hand, voting for an independent is a vote for a specific person.
To make matters worse, there is no mechanism for filling a seat vacated by an independent; it simply stays empty until the next election. If this happens with one or two independents it’s no big deal. But what if a substantial fraction of the parliament is independents and they all vacate their seats, for whatever reason? That could shift the balance of power in a parliament without a clear majority.
A closed list is not inherently democratic because it distances decisions about representation from the voter. The 2018 amendments to the Political Party Funding Act regulate party funding but do not regulate internal campaigning, so there is no scrutiny of jockeying for positions and hence potential corruption of setting up a party PR list.
The CR17 campaign and that of Ramaphosa’s rivals to win control of the ANC fell outside the Act, and there is no legal requirement for any of this to be transparent.
Another big issue is that there is a huge imbalance between the accountability of an independent MP and a party MP. No one can remove an independent MP once elected, except through parliamentary processes to deal with misconduct.
A political party can strip a member of membership (provided it is a proper process, not overturned in the courts). While a trusted independent who works for their constituency can be superior to a party MP who works for their party, there is no way to recall an independent who doesn’t perform.
In short, the Electoral Amendment Act is severely broken and we need substantial electoral reform. My proposal is to turn a constituency system into an open list PR election. The approach is to divide the country into 400 constituencies, one per MP. All candidates, whether party or independent, nominate in a constituency.
Once votes are in, the number of seats per party and for independents as a group is calculated. Then each party’s candidates are ranked from highest to lowest number of votes, which gives you an open party list. For independents, they are put on a single list and the number elected and their ranking is calculated the same way.
There are three benefits to doing it this way. The power of internal party processes, which can easily be corrupted, is reduced. Voters have an MP they can relate to and call to account. And vacating a seat can result in a by-election, because it is clear where the departed MP’s votes came from.
An additional point that can be considered is whether a party should still have sole power over removing an MP (unless they are guilty of misconduct). A recall mechanism by petition from their constituency could also apply to independents. But such a mechanism must be designed with care to avoid abuse by political opponents.
The Makana Citizens Front proposed a mechanism where 100 voters could petition to remove a non-performing councillor but the petition had to be well motivated, and the councillor would have had the opportunity to answer the charges.
The mechanism for removing an MP would have to be robust to avoid abuse.
This system may result in some constituencies electing more than one MP and others none; it would be in the interests of MPs elected in neighbouring constituencies to work in those with no MP to secure future votes.
Whether this is the best idea is not my point. We need new ideas. The current system is broken.
Philip Machanick is an emeritus associate professor of computer science at Rhodes University.
Ramaphosa picks Mampho Modise as deputy Reserve Bank governor:
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed treasury official Mampho Modise as a South African Reserve Bank deputy governor, filling the gap left by Kuben Naidoo’s resignation.
Ramaphosa also reappointed Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, as well as deputy governors Fundi Tshazibana and Rashad Cassim, for another five-year term. Kganyago’s upcoming term will be his third. He was first appointed to serve as Reserve Bank governor in November 2014.
Modise’s appointment means the Reserve Bank now has a full complement of executives following Naidoo’s departure late last year. It also adds to the monetary policy committee’s (MPC’s) ranks. In January, Kganyago named David Fowkes as a member of the committee, which, among other things, sets the repo rate.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana congratulated Modise, who currently serves as the treasury’s deputy director general of public finance, in a statement on Thursday. Her appointment begins on 1 April, after the next MPC announcement scheduled for 27 March.
Modise, who started her career at the Reserve Bank as an intern in 2004, will be responsible for the financial stability, economic statistics, risk management and compliance departments. She will also be in charge of the Reserve Bank’s fintech unit and the Corporation for Deposit Insurance.
Godongwana said Modise’s deep background in public economics and finances will help her succeed in what he said would be a challenging job.
“Dr Modise is a dedicated, talented official with a genuine passion for the public service and keen appreciation of the challenging macroeconomic period the country is currently facing,” the finance minister said.
“She is also a competent leader and the Sarb, as well as the nation as a whole, will benefit immensely from her diligence.”
Godongwana assured that the vacancy occasioned by Modise’s departure will be filled.
“The national treasury is fortunate to have a deep well of capable officials in the department from which to draw to ensure there is continuity until a permanent appointment is made.”
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