focus: Warwick triangle park (from Lancers Rd at the end of Wills Rd)

Warwick has been the market centre for Durban. First the English market was established followed by the Early Morning Market in 1934. It was meant for Indian market gardeners so sell their produce. The Victoria Street Market provides a range of spices, foodstuffs, curios and close b y is a fish and meat market. Over the last two decades the English and Early Morning Market have changed significantly with the majority of traders being black South Africans.

Warwick has been the home of a number of political activists in the struggle against Apartheid. Often flats in the area were used as hide outs for ANC activists fighting the Apartheid regime. Warwick as a transport hub was established during the period of segregation when Indian and African owned businesses were not allowed to work in the city. As a consequence however unauthorized trading opportunities arose on the fringes of this restricted area.

From that moment onwards Warwick (Avenue) has become the entrepot for commuters to the city. Its markets (and the hawkers and traders on the street pavements) mainly serve commuters who are living in the rural areas, the townships and the informal settlements. The place is noisy with tape and CD sellers playing their ghetto blasters, the blare of taxi horns and the roar of busses. Of the approximately half a million people commuting to the city daily about 75 percent pass through Warwick.

Besides all the hustle and bustle urban decay is also visible in the Warwick area. People living in the derelict houses, a stone’s throw away from the markets, do feel left out and complain that their needs are not addressed. But with the advance of the soccer World Cup in 2010 all kinds of developments are being set up to upgrade the area.