‘Daar kom die Durban mense Kaap toe’
IN THE early 1960s, when the primary school I attended had the platoon system of morning and mid-afternoon sessions to cope with a larger number of pupils, the story of the Great Trek was drummed into our tiny heads during lazy afternoons.
We were taught that Boers from the Cape Colony – rural descendants of the original European settlers – were in rebellion against the British and in search of fresh pasturelands.
In January 1832, pathfinders were despatched into the hinterland. They scouted then-Natal as a potential colony. On their return to the Cape, they waxed enthusiastically about Natal as a land of exceptional farming quality that was well-watered and nearly devoid of inhabitants.
Thus, from 1835 until the early 1840s, some 15 000 Boers comprising entire families in ox wagons trekked into the interior from the Cape, leading to the founding of several autonomous Boer republics – namely, the Transvaal, the Orange Free State and the Natalia Republic.
Now, 190 years later, another Great Trek is taking place – only this time the migration is in the reverse direction. Every month, dozens of Indian families from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng head south, relocating to the Western Cape.
Doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and accountants are choosing to live especially to the north of Cape Town in the peaceful west coast neighbourhoods of Bloubergstrand and Table View. Joining them are younger families from the Cape’s traditionally Indian suburbs of Rylands, Cravenby and Athlone.
Italian writer Italo Calvino said cities, like dreams, were made of desires and fears. It would thus appear the fears of Durban and Johannesburg are being swopped for the desires of Cape Town by those seeking a better quality of life.
Now, what exactly is it about Cape Town that is so captivating and charming for people from outside the province? Truth be told, Cape Town is everything that a utopian South Africa should be. And the fact that the Western Cape is the only one of nine provinces not controlled by the ANC has much to do with it.
Year after year, the Western Cape produces the best results for its municipalities – more than 80% clean audits. Cited as the reason for the good results is the role of the leadership in instilling a culture of accountability and expecting nothing less than sound management practices. The political leadership of the Western Cape continues to focus on clean administration.
In the latest reporting period 2020/2021, only 41 out of 257 municipalities in South Africa received clean audits. Of the 41 well-governed municipalities, 22 are in the Western Cape.
The Auditor-General reported that a total of R118 000 was spent on fruitless and wasteful activities in the Western Cape, in comparison with R103.42 million in Gauteng. The Western Cape incurred only R285m in irregular expenditure, compared to KwaZuluNatal with R9.77 billion.
The Western Cape is fully aware that aspirations to improve the quality of life of its citizens should be most evident at municipal level, through the provision of water, sanitation, electricity, refuse services, roads and infrastructure, as well as through enabling economic development.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in the rest of the country, where low levels of trust and public frustration at the lack of service delivery and financial mismanagement are high. The frustration finds expression in businesses moving out of municipal areas with poor service delivery, resulting in increased unemployment and a loss of municipal
revenue in those areas. In its latest Reader’s Choice Awards survey, the respected global magazine, Condé Nast Traveller, lists Cape Town as one of the 10 best cities in the world, keeping the company of Mumbai, India; Québec City and Victoria in Canada; Mérida and San Miguel de Allende in Mexico; Tokyo, Japan; San Sebastián, Spain; Bangkok, Thailand; and Singapore.
I am a pukka Durbanite. Over the years, many job opportunities presented themselves in Johannesburg and overseas cities, but I spurned them all. Durban was my home, and where my heart was, not to mention that all my family and friends were there, as well as my favourite restaurants, butchery, doctors and community temple. And then there’s the all-year summer…
On several recent visits to Cape Town, I kept an open mind when comparing Durban with Cape Town, to fathom what made this city so appealing that people were now choosing it over Perth, Auckland, London, Ottawa and the many other cities that people searching for a better life once went to in droves.
It was quite easy to see why Cape Town is one of the most well-run cities in South Africa, so much so that it attracts international immigrants and “semigrants” who move from other cities in the country. I kept my eyes glued to the road but could spot no potholes. The traffic lights take longer to change, but at least they all work. You don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder for muggers. Capetonians are equally laid-back and cultured. They take the time to enjoy the finer things in life, whether it's a glass of wine with a loved one, watching the sunset from a local beach, enjoying battered hake or snoek and chips at Hout Bay, or having a braai on a Sunday afternoon. You get the distinct impression that, while work is important, the locals value experiences over material possessions.
Former television celebrity and cookbook author Prim Reddy, who opened her award-winning The Indian Chapter Restaurant in Bloubergstrand 12 years ago, said the Table View area was once considered to be “out in the sticks”, but has now become integrated with the city. Hence, young professionals and retired couples from Durban were putting down roots in this part of Cape Town.
She told me that the very distinctive shallow beaches of the west coast, iconic picture-postcard view of Table Mountain, relatively cheaper properties, and friendly people all combined to attract Indians like bees to honey. She is correct.
Table View – with its extensions such as Flamingo Vlei, Sunridge, West Riding, Parklands and Killarney – has more affordable properties when compared with the Mother City’s southern suburbs.
The area boasts good schools, some of the best shopping malls, mosques, churches and a temple run by the Ramakrishna Centre.
Many Indian restaurants and takeaway outlets have mushroomed, selling “Durban curries”, because a bobotjie can never compare with a sugar beans bunny.
Already there is a Facebook group – “Durban Indians Living in Cape Town” – for Durbanites who have relocated to Cape Town who seek advice from and want to network with fellow former Durbanites.
Caroline Melissa Krishanlall must know how those who hail from Durban crave their favourite curries. She has advertised “Cornish chicken and culls, sheep head, trotters, tripe and crab”. Sarika Lalla has “great-tasting, spicy, Durban-style samoosas with various filling options, including tin fish, chicken, lamb mince and potato”.
Minoka Naidoo, who must be good Andhra, has asked the Facebook group members to point her to “a temple that has Ram bhajans”. Kajal Hurilall is looking for “Bollywood dance classes closer to the Table View area”.
It is clear you can take a Durbanite out of Durban, but you cannot take the Durban out of the Durbanite.