After losing her family farm in Limpopo and relocating to Johannesburg, Bridget Hilton-Barber started a 'garden of national unity' following South Africa's 2024 elections. The garden emerged as a personal symbol of hope during the country's transition to coalition politics. It reflects themes of renewal and solidarity in a time of political transformation.
Bridget Hilton-Barber lived in Limpopo for more than two decades before her family farm was sold, leaving her dispossessed of her home. She moved to Johannesburg, known locally as Jozi, just in time to vote in South Africa's ninth democratic election in May 2024. There, she cast her ballot at a suburban polling station staffed by polite, rainbow-vibe volunteers but had to forgo her provincial vote, which deepened her sadness.
The election results marked a historic shift: the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority for the first time in 30 years, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party took control of KwaZulu-Natal, ushering in an era of coalition politics. As political negotiations intensified—with horse trading, meetings behind closed doors, and press briefings—Hilton-Barber turned to gardening. She began her 'garden of national unity' in autumn 2024, a few months after arriving in Jozi.
On the day South Africa's seventh Cabinet was sworn in, two men named Tshepo delivered a tonne each of compost and potting soil to her new home. The swearing-in ceremony featured a light moment when Chief Justice Raymond Zondo told Patriotic Alliance's Gayton McKenzie, 'Please sit,' prompting McKenzie to quip, 'The last time a judge told me to sit, I got 15 years.' President Cyril Ramaphosa responded with tears of mirth. The coalition included parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), ActionSA, Rise Mzansi, and MK.
Hilton-Barber's garden is a bohemian cottage style with food and flowers in no-dig beds, using companion planting principles—like nasturtiums with pumpkins to deter pests or basil with tomatoes. She humorously hoped 'Melon Zille' would thrive alongside 'Sorrel Ramaphosa.' Despite challenges from mousebirds, water shortages, and Highveld heat, the garden brought spiritual joy, sprouting zinnias, marigolds, spinach, tomatoes, chillies, and pumpkins amid bees and birdsong.
As one plant nursery website notes, 'gardening is arguably a front-line political endeavour,' an act of rebellion or solidarity. Hilton-Barber's effort embodies sowing 'seeds of love over seeds of fear' in a transforming nation.