Homeless woman left 'distraught' after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden

Kenilworth council submitted this photo, saying that it was ‘as good as’ an illegal structure (supplied)

Homeless woman left ‘distraught’ after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden

‘Council law enforcement’ blamed for taking away a gardener’s pride and joy

Homeless woman left 'distraught' after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden

Kenilworth council submitted this photo, saying that it was ‘as good as’ an illegal structure (supplied)

A Facebook post from Kenilworth, Cape Town has gone viral, after a homeless woman was shocked to find her veggie garden had been removed by city authorities.

Jackie Plank had previously posted photos of local resident Mary, and her ‘Garden of Eden’. Plank spoke of the delights the garden had to offer, and how the veggie patch was well known to locals, and supported by local businesses.

Homeless woman left 'distraught' after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden
Mary proudly stands by her garden (Facebook, Jackie Plank)

However, Jackie was mortified when she took on her usual morning walk last week, only to bump into a now ‘distraught’ Mary. The owner of the garden was at a loss, and explained that council law enforcement had removed her plot, and accused her of ‘growing dagga’ amongst the plants.

Homeless Kenilworth woman has garden taken away

Mary lost her pride and joy, and maintains that she only ever grew vegetables on the land near Kenilworth Station. This was a major source of sustenance for the 43-year-old, and now, she has been left without her livelihood.

Homeless woman left 'distraught' after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden
Concerned resident Jackie Plank documented Mary’s reaction to losing her veggie patch (Facebook)

We asked the council to comment on this incident. Though they stopped short of confirming whether Mary was growing Dagga, they cited that ‘more and more litter’ was appearing in there. In fact, they said the garden was ‘bordering on being an illegal structure.’

Councillor Sharon Cottle on “Mary’s Eden”:

“I had monitored said garden at Kenilworth Station for a while.  This was erected without permission from the City of Cape Town.”

“All parks and open spaces are managed by the parks branch.  On numerous visits I discovered that extra materials were being added.  More and more litter was found in this area and also debris of materials used.”

“This bordering to become an illegal structure, I called in the Parks branch to come and do an assessment.  We could not locate the owner of this garden to discuss the matter.”

“A decision was taken by the Parks branch to remove the garden and all structures. I had in fact received an email from a complex nearby, thanking the City for the decision taken.”

Homeless woman left 'distraught' after Kenilworth council remove her veggie garden
Kenilworth council submitted this photo, saying that it was ‘as good as’ an illegal structure (supplied)

For the meantime, Mary must adapt to life without her garden. The council stand by their decision, and have provided reasons for their actions. Whether that will be enough to win over the locals in Kenilworth remains to be seen.

Also Read: Khayelitsha gardener given huge boost by radio host.