THUNEE CULTURE

“KHANUCK!” can be heard from the corner of the outdoor cafeteria at the Durban University of Technology’s Steve Biko Campus, where a group of youngsters engage in the card game thunee.

“It’s a game that brings us together because we all teach each other,” said Dillen Gounden, 22, who tries to squeeze in a few hands of thunee with friends between lectures.

Thunee is a game of “cunning” that originated in Durban among Indian indentured-labourers. The culture of the game has strengthened as it passed through generations of families and friends playing the game.

Among the boys who showed-off their thuneeskills was Ashil Panday, 18. He learnt the game through friends on campus, while Jared Poonsamy, 18, was schooled in thunee by his older brother.

Gounden added: “It’s something that is truly South African heritage because it was born right here.”

PICTURE: KARINDA JAGMOHAN University students gather around cafeteria tables to play the Durban-born game thunee, with skills passed on to them by their families and friends.