DURBAN, south africa // For nearly a century, fruit and vegetables have been sold at Durban's Early Morning Market.
Its metal structure is a listed as a heritage building, and under its corrugated roof, hundreds of stalls offer potatoes, tomatoes, onions and other produce in portions costing a mere five rand each - less than half the price of comparable supermarket goods, according to researchers.
But it is located on a prime trading site in the city centre's Warwick Triangle, next to a giant terminal for the minibus taxis that are the standard mode of public transport for South Africa's poor, as well as bus and train stations, and more than 400,000 commuters are estimated to pass it every day.
To the outrage of the traders, the Ethekwini municipality, which covers Durban and owns the site, has given them notice to quit at the end of this month to allow a shopping mall to be built. It is offering them an alternative site 300 metres away, but the traders claim that with virtually no passing trade there they will be condemned to bankruptcy.
Protest banners in the 99-year-old market bear such slogans as "Our market is here to stay, our market feeds us" and "Save the market, no forced removals", while the latest in a series of protest marches was held last week.
With the African National Congress, which controls the council, pledged to defend the interests of the poor, the move has prompted demonstrations, accusations of betrayal, and racism - Durban has a large Asian minority, the descendants of labourers brought in by British colonialists - and claims of questionable motives.
It is a microcosm of the controversies that face the ruling party nationwide as the heady days of liberation recede into history.
Four generations of Hoosen Ismail's family have worked in the market, which was reserved for Indian traders during apartheid. "I feel terrible," he said. "I started here at six years old running for my grandfather. Some people have been here for 60 years.
"I'm 39 and I'm getting kicked out of the market. I will be out; I will be unemployed. It's only greed."
Already those traders who cannot produce leases from the municipality have had their stalls shut down as it seeks to weaken resistance, even if, like Rose Dlamini, 41, they say they have been paying the council rent for nine years.
She has seven children of her own and also looks after four nephews and nieces, but her 23-year-old daughter "went to university because of this market", she said.
"Now I can't buy bread for my children. We don't want to move; I don't like how they treat us. They are supposed to talk to us. Who will shop in a mall? Only rich people. Where are our politicians now when we really need them to help?"
With race still an overarching issue in South Africa, claims have been made that Indian traders are taking advantage of blacks, who now make up many of the stallholders, but Mrs Dlamini denied that was the case.
"There are no problems; we stand together as one," she said.
Most symbolically of all, in recent months the traders have been obliged to prove their identity to inspectors, sometimes more than once a day, to demonstrate that they are entitled to their pitches.
The policy has echoes of the "pass laws" of apartheid, when blacks had to have a "pass" stating their purpose to be allowed into white areas. Since the advent of democracy 15 years ago, South Africans have not been obliged to carry such identification documents.
The fact that an ANC authority has adopted such a tactic disturbed Million Phehlukwayo, deputy chairman of the Early Morning Market Association, who is also black, said: "It's very bad; that's very ridiculous to my understanding. It's the same old apartheid ... they brought it back."
He blames individuals, rather than the party as a whole, but added: "Today the ANC is keeping quiet. I don't think they care about what's happening."
The council said the mall project, worth 400million rand (Dh182m), was driven by a desire to improve the area for the community as a whole.
"We are doing this for commuters," said Philip Sithole, head of its business support and markets unit. "The benefit is that commuters and the public will have services that they didn't have before. There will be less crime. As far as we are concerned no one is going to lose from this project."
The identity checks could not be compared to apartheid and were purely to ensure that traders were legitimate, he said, and he denied making race an issue: "Some of the traders - I won't say Indian traders - are exploiting other traders."
But the municipality's insistence that the mall goes ahead despite the opposition has raised suspicions among some observers that other interests are at play, even though nothing can be proved.
"This is partly about big capital winning over small traders," said Caroline Skinner, urban policy programme co-ordinator for Wiego, a Harvard University-based research network, who has carried out studies in the area over the past 10 years.
"Apartheid declared people they didn't want in the city as illegal and that's essentially what the city council has done here.
"The city has chosen to racialise things. Given the history of racial dynamics in this city it's an incredibly dangerous thing to do. It's very depressing."
sberger@thenational.ae
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
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Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45'), Aspas (82')
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
- Northern Ireland v Switzerland
- Croatia v Greece
- Denmark v Ireland
- Sweden v Italy
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%C2%A0profile
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
DUBAI SEVENS 2018 DRAW
Gulf Men’s League
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Sports City Eagles
Pool B – Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf Men’s Open
Pool A – Bahrain Firbolgs, Arabian Knights, Yalla Rugby, Muscat
Pool B – Amman Citadel, APB Dubai Sharks, Jebel Ali Dragons 2, Saudi Rugby
Pool C – Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2, Roberts Construction, Dubai Exiles 2
Pool D – Dubai Tigers, UAE Shaheen, Sharjah Wanderers, Amman Citadel 2
Gulf U19 Boys
Pool A – Deira International School, Dubai Hurricanes, British School Al Khubairat, Jumeirah English Speaking School B
Pool B – Dubai English Speaking College 2, Jumeirah College, Dubai College A, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2
Pool C – Bahrain Colts, Al Yasmina School, DESC, DC B
Pool D – Al Ain Amblers, Repton Royals, Dubai Exiles, Gems World Academy Dubai
Pool E – JESS A, Abu Dhabi Sharks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1, EC
Gulf Women
Pool A – Kuwait Scorpions, Black Ruggers, Dubai Sports City Eagles, Dubai Hurricanes 2
Pool B – Emirates Firebirds, Sharjah Wanderers, RAK Rides, Beirut Aconites
Pool C – Dubai Hurricanes, Emirates Firebirds 2, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Transforma Panthers
Pool D – AUC Wolves, Dubai Hawks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf U19 Girls
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, BSAK, DESC, Al Maha
Pool B – Arabian Knights, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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