Diamonds are formed under pressure and 13 unemployed Finsbury locals wanted to shine despite their circumstances.
Aaron Gobuapelo and his team started the Green Team Cooperative in 2018, after they all lost their jobs and were desperate to put food on their tables.
“I am one of the four co-founders of the cooperative. We were all sitting at home becoming more depressed every day until I spoke to our councillor. He suggested that we ask the municipality if we could use the piece of land next to the sports ground to start a cooperative,” he said.
They set their new plans in motion and planted their first seedlings in September. They registered the cooperative in December.
“We didn’t have any money to buy our first seeds and seedlings, so the members all did piece jobs to fund our expenses. Other people from the agricultural community also contributed and we are thankful for all the help we received.”
Being previously unemployed, this cooperative gave new meaning to their lives and they are also contributing to the community by selling their vegetables. Most of the members of the cooperative are from the older generation and used to work on the mines.
“We want to change the mentality that nothing good ever happens in Finsbury and I want to show that older people can still make a success of their lives.
“The youth of Finsbury are abusing drugs, but through this cooperative, we can change these people’s lives.”
Aaron said that they are facing a lot of obstacles that can’t be overcome without finances. They need overalls, shade netting, irrigation, and toilets.
“We have big plans, but for now, we need to stay small until we get more support. South Deep Gold Mine Gold Fields visited us two weeks ago and said that they might be able to help us with a few things,” he said.
