What the people say…
◆ Jerome Govindasamy from Chatsworth: “Dhania is a herb every Indian house must have daily. My mum will never cook without dhania, in any of her dishes. We use dhania in curries, salads … it’s literally in every dish. We got so used to dhania that we can immediately taste a huge difference without it in any of our dishes because it gives a fresh aroma to dishes. Back in the day, we paid R2 for a bunch. Now one pays R30, and at the Bangladesh market it was R20 for a small bunch. I went to four supermarkets over the weekend and could not find dhania. I will never pay R30 for a bunch. We understand farmers are having an issue with the weather, but some have taken advantage of the situation. At the Bangladesh market, one vendor was making big bunches into smaller bunches and selling them at a higher price. My solution is planting your own, but finding the seedlings and fertilisers is also difficult. I’ll stick to curry leaves and parsley for now.”
◆ Umedh Kunjbeharie from Mt Edgecombe: “The worst part is that the price has escalated to almost five times the normal price, that is ridiculous. I feel most homes should be planting, not only dhania but also thyme and chillies for times like these.”
◆ Nasreeza Pillay from Chatsworth: “I was able to find one bunch of dhania at a roadside fruit and veg stall in Chatsworth. They were the only ones who had stock, but the bunch was rotten and badly wilted as it was yellowish. What’s worse is that a single bunch was between R25 and R30.”
◆ Eleesha Rajgopaul from Malvern: “I use dhania for all my Indian dishes, like curries, breyanis, samoosa fillings, as well as other Asian dishes like various Thai soups, or sometimes even in Mexican tacos. Dhania is a staple ingredient within my household. There is never a time when I don’t have dhania in my fridge. The shortage has really affected me as I’m now required to pay exorbitant prices. As a third-generation South African Indian living in Durban, I’m unable to grow my own dhania as I live in an apartment and they usually don’t accommodate for growing space for our own herbs and plants. At this time of shortage, I have found that some markets and supermarkets do have some in stock, but the quality of the herb is not of an edible standard. I have also found it to be of a great inconvenience as the flavour of a single dhania leaf cannot be replaced with anything else.”