Page 11 - KZN Business Sense- Vol5 No4

A rich

diversity of

9 MARKETS OF WARWICK colour, sound and

aroma awaits

he Markets of Warwick smallest of the markets and sells Bovine Head Cooking Market where traders sell a the senses.
have long been on my list only two products, Impepho The Bovine Head Cooking variety of spices, arts
Tof places to visit in Durban. and umcako (mineral lime). Market is not for the faint and crafts, clothing
A quick search on Google came Impepho is a dry herb that is hearted. The heads of cows are and beadwork. We
up with the Markets of Warwick burnt, among other uses, as stripped of all their meat and as were introduced to the
website and a group tour was incense to communicate with much is removed as possible. The various spices that are essential
easily booked and confirmed by one’s ancestors. The white, women then boil the meat for to making a traditional Indian and knowledgeable presence. We
email. yellow and red lime, which is hours which is then served with curry and left the shop with a felt very safe and ventured into
sold as dried balls, is used by “curry in a hurry” mix to try at places we would not have done
We parked underground at the traditional ‘dumpling’ bread.
Victoria Street Market which traditional healers and/or as a While Vincent assured us that the home. unaccompanied by a tour guide.
sunscreen. Much of the lime is
with its brightly-painted exterior meat was delicious, we could not We concluded our tour with These tours are made possible
and pink turrets is a Durban mined in Ndwedwe, crushed be persuaded to try a sample. a cappuccino at the Queens through the assistance of an
landmark. Upstairs, our group into a fine powder, shaped Early Morning Market Café to reflect on our morning NGO Asiye eTafuleni at a cost
into round balls and then
met our tour guide, Vincent transported to the market. experience. All agreed that R100 per person. 
Ndlovu, at the Queens Café. The Early Morning Market was the tour was a worthwhile
After a brief introduction we set Brook Street Market another assault on our senses – experience and that we were For more information
off on our two and a half hour Brook Street Market has mostly stalls sell flowers, spices, fresh grateful for Vincent’s patient www.marketsofwarwick.co.za
walking tour. clothing on sale – brightly coloured produce and poultry. We walked
through stalls laden with piles of
Our tour commenced at 9.30 pinafores, skirts, shirts and fresh spinach, cabbages, carrots,
and while there was a general household products. Next to the madumbes, green peppers and
buzz of people, the markets were stalls, machinists can be seen hard more, while dodging the barrow
fairly quiet for which we were at work sewing the various items. operators who push overloaded
grateful. A hot dog seller assured Brook Street Market lies adjacent wheelbarrows of goods through
us that by lunch time, many of the to the graves of four different the aisles. All the prices are really
markets would be very crowded, religious denominations: Christian, cheap, and a shopping basket
and that we should return to Muslim, Hindu and Jewish. would have been well in order.
experience the atmosphere.
Berea Station Market Medicine Market
The Markets of Warwick
comprises nine distinct markets The Berea Station Market is The visit to the Medicine
and a rich diversity of colour, found found within the Berea or Muthi Market had been
sound and aroma awaits the station which is one of the two anticipated with a mixture of
senses. commuter rail stations serving curiosity and some apprehension.
the inner-city. Here apart from The stalls are piled with dried
Bead Market other food items, stalls offer herbs, tree bark, various plant
We had selected to visit the freshly-fried vetkoek. At R3 bulbs, roots and stems, dead
markets on a Friday as this is the each, we were happy to purchase birds and animal skins, teeth and
only day of the week that the Bead a large one to sample and share bones. A smell of decay hangs in
Market is open. Here we wound for a midmorning snack, which the air.
our way through orderly passages was well enjoyed. The sharp clang of pounding –
of many ladies, mostly seated on You can also find numerous that of a heavy metal pole into a
their floor, who displayed their stalls selling religious uniforms bucket rang through the stalls. We
various beaded items for purchase in the different colours of various watched numerous herb grinders
in front of them. These items Christian orders. pound tree bark and other items
range from traditional beaded into smaller bits for sale.
necklaces to more modern plastic Many other stalls trade in a
beaded designs. The various items variety of DVDs, shoes, belts, This was the only market where
and designs are very appealing as wallets and bags and mixed we were requested not to take
well as inexpensive to purchase. household items. photos of the products. Due to
Most of the women’s income Music Bridge the nature of the items being sold,
is obtained from bulk buyers some could be of an illegal nature.
who purchase for resale at more An important pedestrian link, Victoria Street Market
frequented tourist outlets. Music Bridge is named after the
loud music and music products Our tour ended back at the
Impepho and Lime Market for sale in this section of the Victoria Street Market, which is a
The Impepho Market is the tour. more formal retail environment Vincent Ndlovu

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