The people of Murraysburg have a saying: if you stand still here for long enough, leaves will sprout from your fingers.
High mountains always trap clouds and over aeons, the Sneeuberg peaks around Murraysburg have intercepted rainfall – in some areas as much as 800mm a year. This captured moisture trickles down slowly through the mineral-rich dolerite and sandstone formations, eventually reaching the valleys below. Even when the Buffels River dries up in a Karoo drought, the groundwater levels tend to remain steady.
The renovated Swiegers home – the start of an extended restoration process in the town. Image: Chris MaraisBut one man could. His name is Chris Barr and he’s a professional futurist who thinks about Murraysburg and its possibilities all the time. The Western Cape government came to the party with a R1.5-million grant and by the end of 2017, the project was completed. By November 2021, the furrows of central Murraysburg were gurgling happily, bringing a new spirit to the town – and an exciting community-based garlic-growing enterprise was taking shape.We follow the bubbling furrow down to Sophia van Heerden’s massive rose garden where she awaits in the chilly morning, elegantly dressed as if for a summer wedding.