Durban - Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, aka Grey Street, in central Durban is a melting pot of colour and chaos which is steeped in history.
The Independent on Saturday joined Durban Walking Tours for a walk through the area, which is a hidden treasure trove of bargain prices from exotic spices to massive lobola pots, fabulous wedding regalia and original shweshwe fabric.
The walk starts at the 1860 Heritage Centre, based at the end of Grey Street of past years, and provides a comprehensive and fascinating history of the Durban Indian population in KwaZulu-Natal.
It traces the arrival of the first indentured Indian labourers in 1860. Until such labour was abolished in 1911, 154 000 Indians arrived to work in the sugar industry
This era included the arrival of young lawyer Mahatma Gandhi in May 1893.
Gandhi’s first hand experience in Durban of racial discrimination against the Indian population sparked his political activism. “God laid the foundations of my life in South Africa and sowed the seed of the fight for national self-respect.”
Some of those arriving from India by ship were the same families which, in time, became well-known traders and merchants in Grey Street.
At the Greyville Racecourse end of the street, the bright purple building Thokoza remains the oldest women’s hostel in the country.
It was started in 1925 and officially houses some 1 000 women ‒ and the longer you stay, the more likely you are to get a bed by a window ‒ according to a long-term resident.
Many of the women are informal traders and no men are allowed in the building.
Another building, Sterling House, was where the famous “safari suits” were made, hugely popular in the Durban heat, along with a must-have comb in the sock.
Passing shops with names such as the Shap Shap Salon, we came to the Shah Jehan Cinema, named after the Indian Emperor who built the Taj Mahal. The once popular cinema boasted 2 000 seats and was a favourite destination of many courting couples on a Saturday afternoon. It has since been converted into flats.
Durban has always been famous for its collection of Art Deco style architecture and this includes some Indian-inspired art deco buildings, such as Emperor Court.
As we made our way along the street, early morning trolley pushers, known as isigadlas, were dozing on street corners. Waking at about 3am every day, these are the city’s early risers as they pile huge stashes of goods on to their trolleys and deliver them to the many hawkers lining the street and the side streets.
One vendor shouts “buy everything here”, and this is no idle boast. From shops with names such as Smart Shoes and Crazy Sweets, there are also hawkers to heal an “unhealthy colon” or to get rid of “fleas or lice”.
We arrived at one of the best kept secrets in Durban, the Fair Price shop, which not only has every spice under the sun in huge bags, but also serves the best smoothie in town. Made directly from the sugar cane sticks packed next to the counter, these smoothies are only R10.
The counter is manned by Abdul Jabar, 73, who has worked in the shop since he was 14 years old and as one customer told us, “he’s very popular with all the customers”.
We arrived at the famed fabric shops of Grey Street where original shweshwe material was on offer, as well as many fabrics ranging from R10 a metre.
If you want to make sure you are buying the real shweshwe deal ‒ the fabric has a logo of three cats and apparently tastes salty.
We stopped in at the famous Juma Masjid and were warmly welcomed by teacher Sfiso Duma, who allowed our group into the mosque. The hectic activity of the street faded as we entered the cool, peaceful interior as Duma explained some basic facts about the Islam faith.
Then it was back into the chaos of the street with hustlers calling, loudspeakers pumping and the bustle of mid-morning shopping.
For anyone getting married, the small side arcades have an endless array of wedding garments for him and her, whether traditional isiZulu or doing the big white dress. There are also numerous lobola shops. From huge pots to the tiniest button, shelves are stacked high.
In the Ajmeri Arcade, we meet owner Ibrahim Habib of the music shop Ajmeri Record King, who assures any customer that his shop is “always first with the latest”.
Habib has been behind the counter since 1960 and the shop is a vintage music junkie’s dream with LP records, tapes and CDs.
We passed Patel’s which is said to have some of the best bunnies in town and on to Surat Vegetarian Delights where we enjoyed a light vegetarian lunch, with a variety of tasty dishes, and finished off with an ice cold drink on the edge of the hustle and bustle.
The Independent on Saturday