Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times - Sunday, 19 September, 2004
Karen van Rooyen
Elias Molefe started his garden, just outside Sun City in North West, in 1996, creating his ever-changing "themes" by combining plants and rubbish-dump scraps.
"Lady Di" was made from an old teddy which Molefe insists is "beautiful, not ugly". A scene depicting Michael Jackson has come down since the singer's court battles. "He gave too many problems so I don't like him anymore."
One section of the garden, featuring a cricket bat and epaulette with three stripes, is a memorial to former Proteas captain Hansie Cronje. At first it was meant to be a request to the cricket powers-that-be to reinstate Cronje following his involvement in match-fixing.
When the cricketer died, Molefe added a plane and a phone to the display. "The phone is for my captain, so when I have any problems, I can phone him."
The garden includes messages to the public. The green-and-white cider bottles that divide the gardens is Molefe's way of saying, "Don't drink and drive."
In another corner, a thorny bush surrounded by broken glass is his way of spreading the Aids message. "This bush is Aids. You can't get to it without wearing boots to walk over the broken glass. So if you wear condoms, maybe two or even three at a time, the condoms are your boots. You won't get Aids."
Molefe used to charge people R20 each to visit his garden, but soon realised foreign tourists were willing to pay much more. So he took down the admission fee sign and now relies on his garden to gain the sympathy of foreign currency-bearing visitors.
Most of Molefe's property is dedicated to his garden, and he is quick to point out that the big house behind his garden belongs to neighbours who "caught the Lotto, five numbers and a bonus".
"A lot of people tell me I'm crazy to pick up these things at the dump to make my garden, but there's no other job I'd want to do."
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