Durban's Early Morning Market History

By Marimuthu Subramoney When the early sugar cane indentured Indian labourers of 1860 completed their five-year contracts, some elected to be re-indentured, a few chose to return to India while most sought to remain in the then Natal province as free citizens to start a new life. Many of these people rented small plots of land in areas like Merebank, Clairwood, Malvern, Cato Manor, Springfield, Sea Cow Lake and Clare Estate to earn a livelihood as market gardeners. These early market gardeners sold their vegetables in some of the streets of Durban despite the severe restrictions and discrimination practised by the then Durban Town Council. Some 2 000 of these market gardeners also sold their goods in and around the old Victoria Street Market before the Early Morning Market was established in the early 1930s. These market gardeners and traders have been doing business in the Victoria Street area since the early 1890s. Many of the descendants - children and grand-children - of these early market gardeners have continued to eke out a living at this market - which is now under threat at the hands of the new democratically-elected city council. The struggles, trials and tribulations of these market gardeners are to be highlighted in a play, MarkeTears, at the Canegrowers' Hall in Durban on September 24 and 25. "The history of the early market gardeners is one of hardship, toil, discrimination and suffering at the hands of the former colonial town council," said Mr Roy Chetty, chairman of the Early Morning Support Committee. "Do you know that our forefathers and mothers not only toiled to grow their vegetables and fruits, but also used various means such as carts, boxes, baskets, and sacks to transport their goods to the street in the Victoria street area. Before this street market was established, our early people were restricted from selling their produce at a fresh produce market near the old central railway station," said Mr Chetty, whose grand-mother was a market gardener. "At this market they were charged a very high entrance fee compared to that paid by whites. They were also only allowed to sell their produce after the whites had finished selling their goods and they were ordered to sell at lower prices than those charged by white traders. They were prevented from trading here after a short while and the market gardeners were moved to the area around Victoria Street. "Many of these market gardeners would arrive from areas such as Clairwood, Merebank, Springfield, Sea Cow Lake, Springfield, Malvern and Cato Manor by horse-and-cart overnight and sleep on the streets. The area where these market gardeners squatted used to be called the Squatters Market. "Many market gardeners also came from places like Cavendish, Umlaas, Shallcross and Mount Vernon. But these people had a great deal of problem in transporting their goods and a lot of restrictions were placed on them. Despite the restrictions and discrimination, the squatters who moved to the Early Morning Market survived and managed to make a living for themselves and their families," he said. Around 1885, when there was about 2000 market gardeners in and around Durban, and up to the establishment of the Early Morning Market there were a number of organisations that represented the people. They included the Indian Agricultural Farmers Association, the Indian Market Stallholders' Association, the Early Morning Market Squatters Association and the Natal Indian Farmers' Association. Because of the hardships they experienced, the market gardeners and others competed very strongly for space and opportunities. This led to a number of conflicts. "Competition and class differences between traders, farmers and non-farming street traders led to several conflicts and struggles," said Mr Chetty. "This was to impact on even the political struggles of the time. The early Indians were not an homogenous group." At this time the officials of the Jumma Masjid (Grey Street Mosque) invited the market gardeners to sell their produce in the mosque courtyard. The mosque officials did not charge any fees for some time but later a small fee was levied for maintenance. Mr Chetty said more than 140 years later, there are hardly any market gardeners in and around the Durban area. Most of the people who ply their trade at the Early Morning Market today purchase their goods through agents from the bulk market in Clairwood. "Sadly, market gardening in and around Durban has all but been destroyed, thanks to large-scale commercial farming and the proletarianisation of the descendants of the indentured. So has the African tenant farmers. "Nevertheless, this does not in any way weaken the case for the Early Morning Market's right to exist. Even a hundred years ago, a section of the stallholders were non-farmers. That agriculture by small producers in the areas surrounding Durban has collapsed over the decades is no fault of the now non-racial marketplace," said Mr Chetty. The production of "MarkeTears" was an effort to continue to defend the right of those who ue the Early Morning Market to earn a livelihood. There were also two cases before the High Courts. "The history of the Early Morning Market is inextricably intertwined with that of the history of the indentured Indian labourers. The standpoint of the Early Morning Market Support Group (EMMSG) is that the building of the EMM structure was struggled for by the early market gardeners and ‘squatter stallholders’ over many decades. It is monument of the indentured, bequeathed to the present and future generations. The Early Morning Market structure is now a 76-year-old grand lady of Durban, and has survived the tribulations of racist colonialism and apartheid, to emerge in the 1990s as a shining example of non-racial workplace harmony. It must therefore be our solemn mission to see the EMM structure declared a national monument, so that it could enjoy permanent protection from the bull-dozers of property developers." ends - ptsa@global.co.za