Retired Policeman from Heidelberg Grows Pavement Veggie Garden to Feed Hungry Neighbours

• A retired policeman from Heidelberg started a pavement vegetable garden after his cauliflower was stolen from it
• Mr Scott expanded the garden to include beans, tomatoes, eggplants and beetroot for the community to take freely
• His act of generosity sparked a debate online about by-laws that have seen similar gardens shut down elsewhere in SA

A retired police officer from Heidelberg is feeding his neighbours, and it all started with a stolen cauliflower.

Mr Scott planted a vegetable garden on the pavement outside his home. When produce went missing, most people would have put up a fence or taken the plants inside. Scott did the opposite. He realised that whoever took the cauliflower was probably hungry, and so he made the garden bigger.

He expanded it to include beans, tomatoes, eggplants and beetroot, inviting anyone in the community to help themselves at no cost.

"It makes my heart happy when I see people eating my vegetables," he said. "That is why I planted this, because the people are hungry, they need this."

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The story was shared on Facebook by Kasi Hustlers on 19 July 2026, and it quickly struck a chord with South Africans who have watched hunger become an everyday reality in many communities.

Pavement gardens and the by-law debate

While Scott's generosity earned widespread praise, his story also opened up a conversation about a lesser-known obstacle facing people who try something similar. In South Africa, planting on a municipal verge is generally permitted as long as pedestrians can pass freely, but enforcement of city by-laws has not always been consistent.

Several commenters recalled watching community gardens get dismantled by authorities. Nelz Shakzana wrote:

"I remember a colleague did the same years ago in Pretoria and TMPD forced him to remove all the veggies for contravening bylaws. The same veggies were donated to an orphanage to feed the needy."

Mzansi praises Scott's pavement garden

South Africans in the comments had plenty to say on the Facebook page:

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@Lesley Du Toit said:

"If this can be done instead of planting grass and expensive plants and flowers outside our homes. No one will go hungry."

@Shireen Pillay joked:

"I need a farm, buy me one and I will add value to our country and me and Oom will work together."

@Thupi Wa Batho Radebe suggested:

"Please teach them to plant their own veggies at the comfort of their backyard."

Scott's garden is a small plot on a pavement in a small Gauteng town, but the response it has received suggests it represents something much larger for a country still grappling with widespread food insecurity.

See the photos below:

More on community spirit in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman living in poverty who shared how her community rallies together to help each other survive.
• Helen Zille's bold stunt to highlight Johannesburg's inner-city crisis had South Africans rallying behind her.
• A car enthusiast group donated over R30,000 to a Kempton Park security guard after he was humiliated in a viral clip.

Source: Briefly News