Garden of good in Diepsloot

Gardens are all about growth. If the Earth laughs in flowers, like Ralph Waldo Emerson speculated, the garden must be the face of that radiant smile. This becomes all too clear when listening to Evans Bopape from Diepsloot. Bopape has committed three years of his life to design a community garden in the township. The catch is that the contract builder only used materials he saved from construction sites he has worked on.

Add to that, the garden includes a lapa and two braai areas Bopape built himself.

Graeme Upton, who works in Fourways, took a chance on Bopape eight years ago.

“We’d talk about his young brother that died, and him creating a beautiful spot in Diepsloot,” Upton said.

Little did he know the spoils of construction turned out to be unwanted material, giving new life to the township, while Bopane could refine his building craft while working with Upton.

The skills led to the place of serenity, an unexpected sight in the busy, but poverty-stricken Diepsloot.

“I started by building the fence with reeds in 2010,” Bopape said.

Grass, flowers and seating followed. Discarded tyres became part of cobblestone footpaths. Succulents became focal points. The braais and lapa have been among the latest additions, where friends and family gather at weekends.

“Sometimes we just have people who ask to visit – I’m proud that we have created that kind of space at my home where people want to visit,” said Bopape.

But as a constant gardener, Bopape is always looking for the next addition to his slice of paradise.

“Right now I need proper rigid poles to use as supports for something,” he said, adding that he tries to spend as much time as possible in the garden.

And while he might not realise it, he has created another smiling face for the Earth.