The saying goes, “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not however have to be a life sentence” and this is exactly the stance Sheryl Ozinsky took when she suffered a traumatic incident in her Oranjezicht home 10 years ago.
“Ten years ago, my life changed completely, I was in my house one Sunday morning and the next thing two guys came in and pointed a gun at my head, I managed to escape, but I think the trauma took over,” she explains.
What she managed to achieve following the incident many described as an act of bravery.
“It was a traumatic experience but somehow, as we all do, you muster up the courage to continue. With courage, I had to find what will be a healing process. I found that my community was divided, there was no sense of purpose, there was no place to meet or to gather, everybody built higher walls, it didn’t feel like a community.”
She explains that with the assistance of a few neighbours they started a neighbourhood watch.
“I helped to start a neighbourhood watch. I was the chair for seven years. During that time we made our neighbourhood safer, but safety alone doesn’t build community. Food builds community because everybody likes to eat. So, we realised that we live in an area that was once a farm called Oranjezicht and it had been farmed by the Dutch for 200 years.”
Ozinsky explains that they wanted to start the farm again.
“We thought what if we could turn the old bowling green into part of a farm to remember the past but more importantly to look at the future to see where and how difficult it is to grow food and to educate people about where their food comes from. And to inspire people to grow food organically, without pesticides.”
She says the purpose was to create a space where people can socialise.
“The thinking was that if you could get people together, they could solve problems that may arise in the neighbourhood. And to get people to meet other people not only from Oranjezicht but from the townships. If you kneel and plant something together you are going to connect.”
Fast forward to today the Oranjezicht City Farm which was founded by Ozinsky, Mark Stead, Tanya de Villiers, Mario Graziani and Kurt Ackermann, celebrates its 10th birthday.
“Never in our wildest dreams would we ever have imagined what would have come from that moment 10 years ago when we all started digging in the soil. The market was started five months after the farm was started.”
She explains that for the past decade thousands of learners have visited the farm on educational programmes.
“We have had interns from all over the world. We’ve developed and helped to develop community gardens in Mitchell’s Plain at Lentegeur Hospital. We have started a new project in Langa. We have started this market that moved three times and now is responsible for 300 livelihoods.”
Ozinsky explains that the market, based in Granger Bay, is owned by herself and her partner.
She says their aim for the market is to shorten the supply chain between the farmer and the consumer.
“We have about 40 farmers that supply the market – we started with one. We work closely with them, and we certify them as PGS organic – a certification system that is 3rd party, so it doesn’t cost the farmer anything. We have a checklist of criteria from the South African Organic Sector Organisation, and we also take consumers along, so it’s a peer review system.”
Ozinsky feels small farmers deserve more praise.
“We should celebrate the farmers; they are our heroes. Our chefs are celebrated; our politicians are celebrated. Why don’t we celebrate our farmers? If you come to the market, you will see an incredible testimony to the hard work and the tenacity of our farmers and other producers.”
But she says the biggest challenge is that more and more farmers are selling their produce on the international market.
“When you want to buy cherries or blueberries from a farmer, most of it gets exported so they don’t supply the local market because they can make a lot more money. Farming is becoming big business so we must protect our ability to work with small farmers and to ensure that the food is sold locally.”
Ozinsky says she is grateful to the team of people she works with who have helped grow the farm and market into the success it is today. “The customers have been amazing, many people come here and tell us we have changed the way they eat, and that is the biggest compliment. Out of tragedy, most wish to get something positive. I think for my healing it’s been incredible.”
