A Return to Paradise and its People - Durban

RURAL AND SEMI-RURAL DURBAN The Durban Metro Area is extensive
and includes many rural and semi-rural communities. Under apartheid,
these areas had very few commercial spaces and access to little or no
basic services. Part of the challenge of renegotiating and reconstructing
these spaces is ensuring that the people who live there have access,
not only to water and electricity, but also to such modern-day necessities
as bank machines, shopping centres and emergency services.
30% of the Metro population live in rural or semi-rural areas.
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LOOSE CIGARETTE SELLERS At the heart of the
informal economy is the micro-profit. For those
at the lower end of the economic spectrum, small
amounts of money have a substantial impact. On
the streets of Durban and in its poorer suburbs
and business districts, you will find people selling
individual sweets and loose cigarettes. The markup
on each unit is minimal, but provides a small
but reliable income for thousands of people.
SECOND-HAND SHOPS are popular with a broad range
of Durbanites as decorating styles from earlier decades
swing back into favour. The increasing hype surrounding
retro furniture has meant that prices have begun to rise,
but the second-hand shops of the city and its suburbs are
still ripe for the picking. The retro shop Eclectic, on the
corner of Gordon and Florida Road, is a great source of
items from bygone eras, as well as a glorious assortment
of kitsch, and is used extensively by interior decorators.