Nukain Mabuza Stone Garden

Nukain Mabuza worked as a farm labourer on the Esperado farm at Revolver Creek (close to the eSwatini border) in the 1960s and 1970s. However, he was also an artist, and he dedicated all of his leisure time to constructing an amazing garden of painted rocks at the foot of a small hill, or granite koppie, close to the main road. Nukain Mabuza started by painting his two huts and everything inside of them. From there, he proceeded to remove the veld undergrowth and mark the location of his rock installation with a triangle. Using smaller rocks, he made places and paths.These days, this garden is regarded as one of just 44 environmental pieces worldwide that have been recognised as genuine instances of “Outsider Art.” As there are just two of these in South Africa, Mabuza’s garden is considered a national treasure. Mabuza’s garden is gradually vanishing, even with a few attempts to restore the site, as the colours have eventually faded. However, this also applies to the majority of land art installations, which are by their very nature transient and vulnerable to wear and weather.