Moses‘ ‘little spot of paradise’
Informal settlement resident has turned his garden into an oasis.
ASK anyone at the Malacca Road Informal Settlement if they know Moses Dlamini, and the reply will always be an emphatic ‘yes’.
It has nothing to do with him being famous, or infamous for that matter, but has everything to do with his carefully-manicured and well looked after garden. But there is more to the jovial green-fingered resident’s garden than meets the eye.
Dlamini has used bits and pieces from the local DSW dump to construct his one-of-a-kind garden. Indeed, even the plants and roses he has planted have come from the dump on Malacca Road.
His garden is a mishmash of trinkets long past their prime and thrown away, thought to have no value. However, this has not deterred Dlamini, who has salvaged many of the items to make his garden – in his words – ‘a little spot of paradise’.
He has used discarded chicken wire, running along a wooden section of fencing, that goes around his shack (also rescued from the dump). Several lights, repaired and given a new home, dot the green landscape.
The oddities continue in an iron bird statue and reindeer statue, on which he hopes to grow a creeper vine. His shack is certainly one of the standouts at the settlement, which is located on a mainly sandy hill rise.
Dlamini, originally from Port Shepstone, said he has always had an aptitude for gardening. The 60-year-old said his green-fingered lifestyle has given him an immense sense of pride and helps calm his stress levels.
“I used to work as a gardener, and growing up I was always fascinated by how plants grow. I’ve been living here for almost 30 years, and the idea came to me to create my own garden.
“In total it took me about six months to build and plant. I used all sorts of discarded items from the dump, and just stems of plants that I’ve tended to and given a new home. Since then they have flourished.
“It’s my little spot of paradise. The other residents here love it. There are always things to add to the garden to make it look prettier. I recently found a discarded rose seed packet. I planted the seeds and I’ve now got two pink roses. It’s wonderful,” he explained.
Dlamini waters his plants every day, and hopes to one day own a house where he can have a much larger garden.
“For me, planting and watering and taking care of everything here calms me down and releases my stress. It’s incredible to see something you care for and nurture grow,” he said.
