Siyabonga Ndlangamandla
Hydroponic vegetables for the community

Siyabonga Ndlangamandla in his hydroponic garden © Thom Pierce 2023
There is a very clear division between the work that Siyabonga does for-profit and the work he does for the community. The two, however, are inseparable. As with most Actionists, there is a clear understanding that if he did not feed himself, then he could not help to feed anyone else.
For-profit Siyabonga grows vegetables in a hydroponic garden. He feeds himself and sells the organic produce commercially through Food Lovers Market.
For the community, Siyabonga runs a community garden that aims to provide the people of Bez Valley, Johannesburg with an ongoing source of fresh vegetables. In a community where there are often 20 people living in a single household, it is a generous and valuable venture. Not only that but through the garden, he aims to up-skill and enable people from the community to grow their own food at home.
“We grew up having enough and it was always important to share. We cannot just be eating whilst someone else, next to you, goes without.”
Siyabonga was raised on his grandfather’s farm where, as children, they had to work in the fields. Even though he hated it at the time, as he grew up he realised his passion for farming which came from his grandfather.
At a young age, Siyabonga became passionate about food security and sustainability. It was ingrained in him to do something for others and, living in a poor area of Johannesburg, he saw the opportunity to help using the skills that he had.
When I asked him what he needs in order to run his operations better he said nothing, but that he would like to donate time to teach at schools about food security.
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