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1/1/1995 - Race, Crime and Tourism in Durban: the Singapore of Africa by Sharon F. Griffin

NoT FOR PUBLICATION SFG WITHOUTWRITER SCONSENT INSTITUTEOFCURRENTWORLDAFFAIRS RACE CRIMEANDTOURISMINDURBAN THE SINGAPOREOFAFRICA St Regis Smith Street Durban South Africa January Peter Bird Martin Executive Director InstituteofCurrentWorld Affairs West Wheelock Street Hanover NH 03755 Dear Peter Kunjani Howarethings Ngiyaphila Iamwell OnValentine sDayIstart Zululanguageclasses attheUniversityofNatal Durban whichmeansthat sixmonths fromnow Ishouldknowmorethanafew salutations Inthemeantime I settlinginto mynewsurroundings tryingtofigurewhat swhatandwho Ihopeyouwon informality ofmyfirst newsletter South Africa Title notwithstanding mostly compilation observations feelings which dramaticallyasthe rolling hills Iviewedfromthewindowoftheairplanethatbrought Durban islocatedonSouth Africa eastcoast inKwaZulu Natal oneofnine provinces existence following April elections It South Africa third largest boasts biggest busiest Africa ranked ninth world It Africa Singapore prime carve niche world transshipment market recent business story The Natal Mercury local daily The citywasoncepartofZuluking Shaka sempire TheBritishestablisheda trading first settlers believed grant obtained Shakagavethemownershipoftheland Shakaconsideredthemgovernorsofthearea andsubjecttohissupremeauthority Theconfusionaboutwhoownedwhatwas common between whites blacks century Land issues confusing today SharonF Griffin isanICWAfellowstudyingthepeople language cultureandpoliticsofthe Zulu nation South Africa Since Institute Current World Affairs Crane Rogers Foundation provided fellowships enable outstanding young adults outside United States write about internation areas issues Endowed bythelateCharlesR Crane theInstituteisalsosupportedbycontributionsfromlike mindedindividualsand foundations SFG CENTRALDURBAN North Beach Noordstrand North Beach MILNE Dairy Beach strand I1l Dairy Beach Jetty Sea Wo_ Aquarium Dolphinarium Akwarium Dolfynerium Little Top ISter Cineland Et arden Court Durban Beachfront I OSmal FISHER SOuth Beach Suisfrand Museum Seemuseum Trampolines Small Craft Harbour rnlAddington Beach IPII strand Rescue Heliped helikopterdek T Jetty T Hawehoof West Smith streets The former leads towards beach front latter I Smith Street where intersects Point Road which links harbor Smith Street considered oldest street Durbanandtakes itsname afterThomasCharlton Smith officerinchargeoftroops duringan i842siegeinwhichBoerforcesattackedtheBritish whosemilitaryforces Durban Today Smith Street primarily dominated dealerships banks business houses retail stores restaurants escort adult entertainment services OnthesideofSmithStreetoppositewhereIliveisa riseapartment building integrated blacks whites Indians coloureds The building great shape I broken windows sagging mattresses leaning against doors tattered curtainstryingtoescapewiththeoccasional seabreeze andbigblotchesofpaint peelingoffthe sideofthebuilding Still sbetterthanlivingonthestreets AroundthecorneronPointRoad meant children occupied dozens ofblackmen andwomenwho apparently place It filthy littered trash broken glass rusted grocery store shopping carts Apoliceman watch tower directly frontofthepark Isupposehe stheretomakesurethepeopleintheparkdon tcrossto theother sideoftheroad wherethere lotsoftouristsandpeoplewithmoneygoing inside The Wheel shopping stores cinemas Security guards stationed entrances watch shoppers through looks security checkpoint airport The people without housing There dozens ofZimbabwewomenwho sellbaskets lacetablecloths andtrinketstotouristsalong beach When night falls cover their crafts black garbage sleepbesidetheirpossessions Estimatesofthenumberofillegalimmigrants inSouth Africa range three million Mozambique Zimbabwe other southern African states Street level apartment faces L H Maharaj Centre which sells among other things popularly known bunny Bunny spicy curry served hollowed bread For which quarter loaffilledwithvegetablecurrysohot llmakeyournoseran MaharajCentreis neighbortoCityHousewivesMarket selleroffruitsandvegetable andCity Housewives neighbor Nina Escort Service Chicken Lickin midnight andTongLokChinesetake awayare visiblefrommy eighth floorapartment They located across Point Road Quiet never comes South Beach neighborhood Cars screech horns police sirens blare people shout music thumps night Weekdays starting about drivers compete another commuters honking their horns Amajority commuters townships outside Durban Inoneway thehonkingremindsmeoffactorywhistlesthatblow clockto signal thecloseofaworkday Except herethecompetitionamongtaxi drivers occasionally getsdangerousandwhenthathappens Ithinkofthehonking asmoreofan alarm Just lastweek somecommuterswere strandedonthe sideofaroad afteronedrivergot fight another driver Durbanprides itselfonarichblendofpeopleand culture Blackshavelived heremanycenturiesmorethananybody mosttracingtheiroriginstotheNgun people Indians brought laborers sugar banana plantations firstshipload arrived Theycamemainlyfromthesouthernareasofthe Deccan Peninsula mostly Hindus Today businesses Durban I newspapers young clean Indian market around comer Point Road He arrives leaves When leaves hetravelstothesuburbofChatsworth wherehehelpsclosedowna second family market The former apartheid government created Chatsworth Indians starting today people abide densely populated He saysthat fiveyearsthefamilyexpectstoownthetwobusinesses outfight They bought Point Roadjust months I blacks resent entrepreneurial Indians whose ancestors fieldswhentheZulupeoplerefused ButI alsotoldthat relationsbetweenthetwo groups improving These Indians girls black occurrence apparently unheard three years Thecolouredpeopleherearefrom different origins Someofthe earliestones weretheproductofEnglishandNguniunions Theyalsocamefrom St Helenaand Mauritius later Cape Transkei Durban minute numberofChinese settledandprosperedherealongwiththeParsecs descendantsofPersians Also livingherearedescendantsofliberated slavesfrom Zanzibar Nooneknowswhattomakeofme Some speculatethatI Indian Others guess coloured When anyone I I American writing study fellowship They generally confused wonderinghowto rephrase question Race matters Myapartment building St Regis occupiedalmostentirelyby Europeans European isthetermmylandladyandsome other mostly older whites I describe themselves Though livedhere sincebirth As faras Iam ableto determine anIndianwoman lives inthe building along coloured couples However black people reside other myself The black people I spoken building thethreeagingblackcustodianswho polish flightsofstairson theirhandsand knees It coincidence black South Africans reside St Regis design I unwittingly largely segregated building after reading classified advertisement newspaper When I dialed telephone number listed advertisement I CLS computerized leasing service CLS charges actual telephone numbers apartments IvisitedtheCLS officeandregisteredto receivethecomputerizedapartment listing However before I could agent picked telephone called realtor sofficeandgavemedirectionstotheoffice Itwasthroughtherealestate agency I found bachelor St Regis which happens owned agentwhoworksforthe estateagency Mylandlady lankywhitewoman inherlate Shebelievesthat blacks anatureoftheirown sayssowithoutthe slightesthesitancy When shetalks Isometimes listening inonaprivateconversationthat Ishould nothear Iamattentive withguilt TheironyisIknowherbetterthansheknows herself Ioftenknowwhatshe sgoingtosaybeforeshesaysit That sbecauseI heard allbefore except usually theblacks referredtothelikesofme TheThursdaymylandladyand Imet herhandsached Hercleaningwoman whose township house burned ground indefinitely which meantmy landladyhadto cleanherownbachelor somethingI mjustnotused Whileshelongedforhercleaningwomanto return alsolamentedthat thenatives havealowerstandardofcleanlinessthanEuropeans anobservation Ifound particularly curious given extent which whites thoroughly depend blacks clean Indeed I musuallysurroundedbyblackcleaningwomenonthepublicbusthat I ridefromthe citycentertotheUniversityofNatalcampus which situatedamong homes exquisite landscaping ThemorningImovedinto St Regismylandladytreatedmetoteaandscones atanearbyrestaurant Shetoldme Ihavetobehonest Beforetheelections whites hated blacks She blamed National Party introducing apartheid That mined everything Before whites blacks along True enough blacks whites proper schools buteveryonegotalong Hermemoriesofgrowingup inthe Transvaal precious Iaskedherhowwhite sattitudeshavechangedsincetheelection We realizedchangehadtocome answeringbutnotanswering Mylandlady pleasant helpful She collar ofmyblouse I tidyandcautionsme neveryoumind thefoul mouthedsuperv He sGreek Alltheycareaboutisplayingcards tillearlyinthemorning Mylandladydoesn fathomthedepthofherown racistviews She likeanalcoholicwhodoesnotbelieve drunk And denial precludes change I writer Detroitwho moved heretwo years boyfriend She white Indian They together She family because doesn white Ironically thought parentswouldnotaccepthim given theirangerwhenher sisterbroughthomeablack boyfi But parents liked couldn guessed problemwould arisewith hisfamily Sheshruggedandtookadragoffacigaretteas sherelatedthesituation Herbodylanguagegavetheimpressionthat itwasnobig shecouldhandle Butshedidn tconvinceme Shehadareasonfortellingme story Maybe because strangers deepest hurts Or maybe because thought I experienced rejection based knowhowtosoothethepain Ifthelatterwasthecase IfailedherbecauseIknowof salve Neo Tswana speaker working towards master degree history attheUnivers ityofNatal Durban He sayshe trieshardnotto stereotype people based Indeed hardest lesson learn Before semester starts university travel outside Pretoria visit mother other relatives His family lived minutes Pretoria government removedthem fromthelandyears Wherethey livenow isanhouraway Neo whowearshishairin babydreads inthe shortversionofdreadlocks sayshegets upseteachtimehepassesthe place He sayshe triestounderstandthewhiteswho there seemingly without remorse He often imagines might helivedclosertothecity hadheattendedbetterschools ThewayNeotalked I thought dispossession occurred during childhood As turned never lived He there removal happened shortly after birth He carriestheheartacheofhisparents theirdispossessionbecame Neo stalkingremindedmeofmymosttreasured storyaboutmylate grandfather Claude aNorthCarolinafarmerand carpenter Mygrandfatherloved itwasevidenceofhisstriving Decadesbeforemybirth helostpossessionofpart ofhislandtoacrookedwhiteman sothe storygoes Whenacourtruled againstmy grandfather decided might would allow takepossessionofthenewhousehewasbuildingforhiswifeand children Soona pitch black country night children house plank plank Andwhenpeoplecametoviewthelandtopossiblybuy heshooedthemaway saying smyland Eventually mygrandfather regained As I liked prance downonthetwo concrete stepsthatremained asatestamenttothehousethatonce livedthere OnoccasionswhenIhaveneededtomusterthestrengthofconviction I recall story ofmygrandfather house In would I attempt diminish wrong committed against Neo family I suggested maybe should reconstruct family original place bricks ortar Instead construct building historical record That least niece foundation which prance Alongside office opposite City Hall Church Street Arts CraftsMarket Vendors aretheresevendaysaweek Oneboothcatchesmyeye I because vendor sells T shirts Welcome South Africa NowGoHome Touristsandtourism areconsidered criticaltofuturedevelopment Durban nation Both local national newspapers almost always carry least story about tourism their daily editions One recent story detailed howthe South AfricanTourismBoard planstohireunemployedyouthbetweentheagesof18and25 protect tourists Tourist protection officers proposed title workers I story disbelief thinking serious Whywould international travelersbotherto visitaplacethatrequirestheprotectionofbodyguards InSoweto businessmanDavidMoshap alohasfigured outawaytomake moneyoffsquattercamps He sbankingontheideathatcuriousoverseastravelers paymoneytospendanightinasquatter sshack Soweto saleable hesaidinThe CityPressnewspaper Mostofour political leaderscomefromorarebased inthis township What might tourists expect sleeping dusty infested without conditioners heaters TV radio telephone plain blankets communal toilet They would communal outside where people sometimes hours brush their teeth public Even prostitutes hoping tourist industry improve Hookers Eyeing theWaterfront wastheheadlineofastory inNatalon Saturday Thequeensofthe readlightdistrictbelievethetourismboomwillcreateaspin offforthem funandsex seekingforeignerswitha lotofmoneyto spend thenewspaperreported Aprostitute interviewed story writer When foreigners visit Point Waterfront bursting wallets great It South A frica You scratch backs massage yours Ifwavesoftouristsdo materialize prostitutesseem positionedtomake their business promises Within three block radius apartment building dozen escort adult entertainment centers Not pornographic magazines openly streets When I openly I themagazines aredisplayedon citysidewalks placed insuchawaythatpassers almost stumble The hawkers always black women They concrete blazing trying living selling seems plethora girlie magazines The escort service adult amusement columns classified sectionoflocalnewspapersrunthreedeep withblackandwhitephotographsof womenwith either cleavage showing fingers their mouths Last least manyofthe strashreceptaclesadvertise Score adultgitshoponSmith Street Clearly tourist officials others absolutely erious about doing whatever necessary attract foreign money Indeed I impression tourism Supermanincarnate capableofcreatingnewjobs improving living standards erecting tallbuildings allatapacefasterthanaspeedingbullet Myownviewisthatthe South Afifcan TourismBoard Durban Regional Chamber ofCommerce should concentrate efforts attracting tourists within South Africa especially given years tourism inaccessible privileged In other words tourism charity begins Plus seems South Africans practice friendliness among themselves before endeavor friendliness towardsothers LetmegivethreeexamplesofwhyIbelievetheyneedthepractice I recently walked corner store magazine white clerk friendly cheerful When black behind asked cigarettes threw change counter Mysecond example taken incident service laundry where practicallynomachineworkswithoutaswi hitwithyour Ayoungblackman enteredwith hislaundryandthe60 ishwhitewomanworkingthecash registerhassled because entered before closing Meanwhile white couple entered ahalfanhourbefore closing withnoproblemandno snidecomments Atthenearby TongLok Chinese coloured woman taking customer orders addressed blackmanasboy Whenhesaid tcallmeboy shesaid Zuluboy Icringe I unnecessary exchanges I doubt seriously other international tourists bother ugliness I strongly tourist industry should doubly ensure blacks sweep clean dishes tourists manage restaurants hotels frequented travelers At Tudor HouseHotelonWest Street where I spentmyfirstfewdays theowner iswhite woman collecting money front Indian blacks desirable andlowestpaidjobs cleaning haulingluggage ItisaworkhierarchythatI veseenin numerous establishments Justasanotherexample there isablackteen agerworking intheMilkyLane cream beach front I noticed serves customers doesn touch register standing fight beside The money handledbyeitherateen ageIndian girloratwentysomethingwhitewoman Mysecret hopeisthatthegirl issackingawaymoneyforcollege It stheonlywaytogetahead I I asa16 oldoncehadajobinwhichIcouldputshoesonthefeetof customersbutmydarkhandscouldnottouchthecash register GivenSouth Africa recent I think tourist leaders underestimate essential outsiderstoseegenuinechangeinthecountry IknowIcertainlydonotwantmy dollarssupportingthe statusquo PresidentNelsonMandela slatedto inaTV advertisement promote country The advertisement feature steam train writing invitation visit South Africa That Iwastaughtto cleanmyhousebeforecompanycomes The subject seems attention tourism crime violence Cab driversgavememyfirstindicationsthatcrime isaseriousproblem On thewaytotheJohannesburgairporttoboardaplanetoDurban Iaskedthedriver wholookednomorethan25 whathethoughtofJohannesburg Itscaresme Crimeisbad Anolderman inhisearly30s drovemefromDurbanAirportto theTudorHouseHotel IaskedhimtotellmeaboutDurban Lotsofcrime hesaid Be careful After checking hotel front clerk Elaine asked leave mykeys whenever I stepped Why I asked In someone knocks upside Two hours checking hotel I walked minutes The Workshop atrendyshopping findaplacetohave dinner Aboy teens served curried vegetables minutes He lived entire Durban likes hometown But I pressed something about You should hotel before Crime Mynext indication people concerned about their safety I began searching apartment Each I viewed heavy metal security doors addition regular framed doors They looked prison cells rather residentialunits Ithoughtperhaps itwassimplyamatterofwhereIhadchosento housing I visited buildings outside immediate center Still buildingsandunitsremindedmeofDonovanPrison inOtayMesaneartheU S Mexico border Here St Regis I rickety elevator accordion doors clankloudandhard tomyeighthfloorbachelorflat Ittakesafewsecondsofkey twisting padlock heavy security safeguardsmy place andthenIuseasecondkeytounlockthedeadboltonthehollowwooddoor Ifeel butfromwhomandwhat Idon tknow Thugs lights project By CYRIL CRIME violence undermining Durban drive provide electricity residents Thumbs Ndlazi trical contractorengaged service consumers Durban southern region trucks hjacked gunpoint during months The robbers appear impressed message trucks We community bring light The vehicles worth R60 000and carrying equip installation material worth about R30 sometimes found gutted Thetheftsarehampering drive electrify homes region which includes province township Umlazi Regional manager Alan Gower contracts being awarded black entrepre neurs house connec tions attend electri faults They speak guage understand situation better those areas But spate thefts meant homes electri This month alone three Mr Ndlazl vehicles stolen He spends trying track Hehas negoti insurance after previouscompany pulled I ordinary trying Ing Mr Ndlazi My Is dearly marked thevehicles sotheyknow black company He claims organised syndicates alleg Involving certain panelbeaters scrap metal LIGHTING UP Themba Ndlazl despite hlJacklngs Picture RICHARD SHOREY dealersandpolicemen Ifounditthere butnoone Thesecuritysituationfor DevelopmentProgramme behind robberies would contractors black areas under threat unless Ononeoccasion hesald ended station aroundDurbanhasdeteHo violence contained Im hewenttoasuspect shome aftermy discussion ratedtotheextentthatthe mediately confront uspect Mr Ndlazi South Afrlean Federallon Hijacking theft Hethreatenedmewith ofCivilEngineeringCon bakkiesandvanswasadal later could He vowed fight tractors warned occurrence least eertaln police rather deprive Implementation veldele being stolen tlonandgetmytruckback employeesofIncomes Reconstruction everyday itsaid Anthony Heard former newspaper editor South Africa criminal elements descend Durban July season flying after I wonderwhat histhoughtsmightbetoday giventhe dailyonslaughtofnews stories detailwhatsuggeststomeacultureofcrime violence lawlessnessand conflict notonlyinDurbanandthe restofKwaZulu Natalbut inthecountryasawhole Between January January people including children women killed KwaZulu Natal people injured according totheHumanRelationsCommission Thedeaths injuries attributedtoboth criminaland politicalviolence An editorial inTheDailyNews speculatedthatthesurge ofkillingsmaybecausedbytheprospectoflocalgovernment elections laterinthe Itcalledthekillingsthe firststirringsinthepoliticalequivalentofethnic cleansing process which become dismally familiar province recent years politicized factions fought territory control people living Politicalviolencedoesn texplain Itdoesn texplainwhycloseto400high school students stormed government education department The students reportedlytrashedofficesandheldschoolofficialshostage spittinginthefaceofone official What children wanted committee immediate attention problems their school between teachers headmaster One muggy afternoon while riding elevator apartment I encountered awoman inherearly30swhoproceededto tellmethatshehadjustwitnesseda European standing black European winning She sounded exuberant I nothing Walking West Street I witnessed driverofapickup madthatanotherdrivercuthim attempttoyankthedriveronto street fight Agleeful crowd surrounded their anticipation bloodshed As former police reporter nothing frightens group people frothing mouth blood hyenas waiting their fresh From distance things tranquil I Smith West streets watch people carry their business Trees trimmed Gardens watered The library opens closes Post office lines orderly People green signal before crossing intersections Still close quite fight Forexample onedayashady lookingcharactertriedto sellmea camera while I bench beach front trying newspaper The I attempted ignore talked until finally I folded paper He downonthebenchandproceededtotellmehowhard itistofindwork Notinthese exact words questioned whether destined beggar manand thief Finally hestoodupandaskedoncemore ifIwantedtobuythecamera Thenheshockedme He thanksforlistening Myeyesfixedonhim hiscrusty skinnyframeandbaggyclownpants untilhewalkedso fardownthebeachthat became invisible everything sight appeared tranquil Sincerely Sharon F Griffin Received Hanover February