Lifestyle

DURBAN STYLE
Words: Anne Schauffer. Photographer: Shaun Mallett. Styling: Candice-Lee Kannemeyer

This wholly African city is one which celebrates its multicultural diversity
in joyfully colourful and creative ways. Aside from its vibrant beach life,
buzzing hotspots and gorgeous scenery, Surf City has some incredible design
talent. We showcase some of Durbans best and brightest

Sunrise over the

Indian Ocean.

lifestyle

Skona wears a cotton

top, R695, Karen MonkKlijnstra and chino shorts,
R750, Billabong. Phume
wears a dress, R690,
Kathrin Kidger

section

A sand artist.

Karen Monk-Klijnstra's award-winning designs reflect her bold, colourful and exciting surroundings, but have
a very distinctive street edge. Skona wears a sleeveless printed jacket, R1 295, Karen Monk-Klijnstra. Chino
shorts, R750, Billabong. Phume wears a multi-coloured printed dress, R1 495, Karen Monk-Klijnstra
Love Coffee.

Bike & Bean.

Freedom Caf.
Moyo uShaka Pier.

Bunny chow
at Capsicum
Restaurant.

July 2014 Sawubona 00

Phume wears a hand-painted

cotton Zeff graffiti dress,
R1 895, Karen Monk-Klijnstra
and a spiral yellow necklace,
R200, Blossom Handmade.
Flat sandals, R299,
Queue Shoes.
Skona wears a cotton printed
Manteca top, R695, Karen
Monk-Klijnstra and chino
trousers, R699, Guess

YOu CAN fEEL It IN YOuR fEEt:

lifestyle

the buzz, the

heat and the rich accents of Africa which make up Durban. Its a coastal city as laid back as
its lively, with a turbulent history and a constantly evolving cultural identity.
Durban, or eThekwini (from the Zulu word itheku, meaning bay
or lagoon), has a convoluted past, lying at the heart of a province
in which epic battles played out dramatically over hundreds of years
between the Zulu, British and Afrikaner nations. It doesnt require
too much imagination to see how, today, those threads from vastly
different cultures have woven themselves into the bold tapestry that
makes up the largest city on Africas Indian Ocean coastline:
Durban, named after Sir Benjamin dUrban, then Governor of
the Cape Colony.
Way, way back, Durbans bay was surrounded by mangroves,
a green and steamy home for pelicans, flamingos and hippos. The
earliest hints of the citys inhabitants are recorded in 100000 BC
rock art in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Drakensberg Mountains,
where murals depict communities of Zulu hunter-gatherers. The
Lala tribe fished in the estuary, and hunted and grew crops in the
coastal forests.
The first Europeans were Portuguese explorers en route to the east.
Vasco da Gama was reputed to have sighted land on Christmas
Day 1947, calling it Terra do Natal (Portuguese for Country of
Christmas). Nearly 200 years later, the first trading ships arrived.
Durbans Indian community the second-largest outside of
India began their relationship with KZN in the1860s. The British
established a sugar cane industry and, with cheap labour being
scarce, brought out thousands of indentured labourers from India
on contracts. Contracts complete, some returned home, but others

remained. The burgeoning sugar cane industry was the catalyst for
Durbans growth as a port. Today its the largest and busiest one on
this continent.

RICKSHA RIDES

Rickshas originated in Japan: the Japanese word jinrikisha means

human-powered vehicle. The concept is of a two- or three-wheeled
passenger cart containing one passenger and pulled by one man. Its
believed that in 1893, Sir Marshall Campbell, one of KZNs great
sugar barons, introduced the first ricksha to Durban as transport
for his wife. It became a very popular form of getting around and,
within a decade, there were over 2000 rickshas in town, with
around 24 000 registered pullers; some plied their trade on the
beachfront, others at the market. Competition became fierce and for
the Zulu pullers, ornamentation of the standard calico outfits was one
way to raise their status. Plain was transformed into bright and bold,
beaded concoctions mostly with elements of cultural significance
and, especially, the impressive array of horns added to the hat to
show the puller was as strong as an ox. Spirited leaps, whoops and
twirls were also part of a pullers offering.
Today there remain only a handful of these decorative rickshapullers on the Golden Mile and they earn their living more from tourist
photographs than acting as taxis in the Durban heat.
Named after this traditional Durban mode of transport, the Ricksha
Bus is the citys open-top double-decker tourist which offers two
three-hour tours a day, leaving from the mobile Tourist Information
Centre along OR Tambo Parade, North Beach. The tour provides a
wonderful overview of Durban, its history and cultural landscape.
031368 1253

GOLDEN MILE

Cotton top, R695,

Karen Monk-Klijnstra.
Swimming trunks,
R750, Billabong

Hot, humid and sizzling with the pride of a city which has worldclass wild waves and beaches on its doorstep, winter or summer, the
weathers fine. Before sunrise on any given morning, Durbanites head
east to celebrate the sea. The so-called Golden Mile along the Marine
Parade was redeveloped in 2009 for SAs hosting of the 2010 Fifa
World Cup. The widely paved seaside promenade stretches from
uShaka Marine World at the southern end to Umgeni River in the
north and there are more activities here, wet and dry, motorised or
manual, than you can count on one hand.
Durbanites are fully equipped with surfboards, bicycles, skates and
skateboards, but visitors are welcomed with open arms, hire shops
and lessons. You can do anything the locals can you can also ask
locals where to dive, hire a board and learn to surf, or rent a bike,
skateboard or scuba gear. The warm Indian Ocean waves, shark
nets, coffee and breakfast stops like Circus Circus Beach Caf at the
Bay of Plenty or Bike & Bean at Country Club Beach a bike hire
and coffee shop entice visitors to get moving and socialise at the
sea. www.circuscircus.co.za and www.bikebeandurban.com

uSHAKA MARINE WORLD

At the southern end of the beach promenade, in The Point

precinct development, uShaka Marine World is not only a vast,
world-class aquarium (with regular dolphin and seal shows),
but also a wild water entertainment park for the young and not-s
o-young. From Wet n Wild action and nail-biting edutainment
at Dangerous Creatures to stylish shopping and a range of
simple to sumptuous eateries in the Village Walk, theres
something fun, gripping, crazy, lazy or educational for sunand leisure-seekers. www.ushakamarineworld.co.za
August 2014 Sawubona 105

section

Panorama Bar.
Cocktails at New
York Restaurant
and Bar.

The KwaZuluNatal Society

of Arts.

Wilsons Wharf.
Art Deco buildings proliferate the city.

00 Sawubona July 2014

Entertainers
on the Durban
beachfront.

lifestyle

Terrence Bray is known for his

distinctive design philosophy, which
is to strive for the best quality in all
aspects of a garment's make-up.
Phume wears a printed T-shirt, R980
and cotton shorts, R450, both
Terrence Bray. Gold spiral bangles,
R120 each, Blossom Handmade.
Sunglasses, R2 299, Diesel
@ Moscon Optics

Swimwear designer Dax

Martin is renowned for his
incredible eye for colour, bold
prints and outstanding quality.
Skona wears swimming
trucks, R750, Billabong.
Phume wears a monokini,
R686, Dax Martin.
Sunglasses, R4 499, Chlo
@ Moscon Optics. Surfboards
courtesy of Clayton Surfboards

lifestyle

The widely paved seaside promenade stretches from uShaka

Marine World at the southern end to Umgeni River in the north
and there are more activities here, wet and dry, motorised or
manual, than you can count on one hand.

section

Phume wears a
swimsuit, R686, Dax
Martin and denim shorts,
R450, Mango

STOCKISTS: Billabong, www.billabong.com/za Blossom Handmade, www.blossomhandmade.co.za Clayton Surfboards, 031 368 4825,
www.claytonsurf.co.za Dax Martin, www.daxmartin.com Guess, 011 883 8391 Kathrin Kidger, www.reine.co.za Karen Monk-Klijnstra, 031 764 3147
Mango, 011 783 7907 Moscon Optics, www.moscon.co.za Queue Shoes, www.queueshoes.co.za Terrence Bray, www.terrencebray.com

00 Sawubona July 2014

lifestyle

MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM

Designed and built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the stadium
was named after a former Secretary-General of the South African
Communist Party and a struggle stalwart. The design is loud and
proud, incorporating architectural elements symbolic of a once
divided nation now united. The stadiums vast, graceful arch, visible
from almost anywhere in Durban, offers a mix of docile and daredevil
activities: plunge off the 106m arch in a mighty 220m arc on the
Big Rush Big Swing, take the 550-step adventure walk to the viewing
platform or climb aboard the Skycar and glide upwards for the finest
view of the city. Shops, a monthly morning market, entertainment
and a play area for kids are all incorporated into the precinct.
031 582 8242 www.mosesmabhidastadium.co.za

PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT: SIYAMTHEMBA BOBOTYANA. STYLIST ASSISTANT: DANIELLA CAPRIATI. HAIR & MAKE-UP: CANDICE MAC NICOL.
MODLES: SKONA @ ICE MODEL MANAGEMENT & PHUME @ MODELS INTERNATIONAL.

WARWICK STREET MARKET

Right on the edge of Durbans inner city, Warwick Junction is the

primary public transport interchange and therefore a very obvious
node for trade. With nearly 500 000 daily commuters and upwards
of 6000 street vendors, it has nine distinct markets within the greater
market. Initially, it was the Indian indentured labourers who began
trading on the sidewalks, but today its a vibrant, all-African market
considered the most authentic one SA has to offer. Its history is a
troubled one through the apartheid era, when traders were constantly
harassed by police and it was only in the late Eighties that they were
given permission to trade legally. Today this massive informal trading
platform, the income of which supports tens of thousands of locals,
has been officially recognised and, in a sense, formalised. Walking
tours through the market are through the NGO Asiye eTafuleni and
trained guides lead visitors through the various sectors, such as the
Bovine Head Market and the Bead Market. Its an important, evolving
aspect of Durban city, providing valuable insight into cultural aspects
of the community. 031 309 3880

COCKTAIL NIGHTS

Durban by night can be a million different things, but its hard to beat
cocktails, the moonlight and the sea...
On the Golden Mile, take the lift to Tsogo Suns Southern Sun
Elangeni & Maharani Hotel to the stylish Panorama Bar & Pooldeck.
You can snack on gourmet bites, order the craziest cocktails in your
favourite colour and flavour, and gaze out at the ocean, reflecting the
lights of the city. Magic.

ART SCENE

The work found in a community art gallery can provide a true

insiders view of local life and viewpoints. The KZN Society of Arts
(KZNSA) Gallery in Glenwood is a wonderful meeting place for local
creatives with its combo of coffee, art gallery, shop, Friday night
movies and more. Another legendary gallery without a commercial
focus is the Durban Art Gallery in the City Hall, with its permanent art
collections. www.kznsagallery.co.za

HARBOUR LIGHTS

Run off to sea on a luxe catamaran, sizable or small, or on one of

Durbans fun seafaring vessels, where the lights of the harbour and
beyond form a scenic backdrop to cocktails by night or, in daylight
hours, offer access to the life of Africas biggest harbour, or even a
fishing expedition. Anchors away at Wilsons Wharf. Hakuna Matata
catamarans: 031303 3782 or 083 2746846. Sarie Marais
harbour boat trips: 031 305 4022/2844

Skona wears a checked shirt, R799 and denim

jeans, R1 200, both Guess. Phume wears a printed cotton
dress, R1 850, Terrence Bray

TRADITIONAL EDIBLES

With a large, diverse Indian community with roots in different

parts of India, Durban offers a wide range of eateries offering
hot, fragrant curries or bunny chow (a half-loaf with the bread
scooped out and filled with curry and vegetables Durbanites
favourite late-night restorative!). One of the citys favourite curry
restaurants is the Capsicum at the Brittanica Hotel, offering
affordable curry every which way but never dull. This historic
hotel, built in 1879, has become a Durban must-see. 1299 Umgeni
Rd 031 303 2266

ART DECO ARCHITECTURE

Durban has a number of fine examples of this Jazz Age style of

architecture, mostly residential blocks built between 1930 and 1940,
notably Surrey Mansions in Currie Rd. If architectures your thing,
speak to the Durban Art Deco Society or download its map and
follow the route. www.durbandeco.org.za

EAT, PLAY, SLEEP

Lucy Markewicz is the creative captain of Freedom Caf, a

shipping container where breakfasts, lunches, dinners, cocktails
and milkshakes with a serious twist are on the menu, inside and
out. 37-43 St Marys Ave, Greyville. 031 309 4434 www.
tastefreedom.co.za Alongside it are gloriously restored Victorian
cottages which form the stylish and quirky B&B The Concierge
Boutique Bungalows. 031 309 4453 www.the-concierge.co.za

Thanks to Durban Tourism for the warm introduction to SAs sunny city and its people. For more information on what to do and where to go in
and around Durban: www.durban-tourism.com
The Sawubona team was graciously hosted by the St James on Venice. A five-star boutique hotel in close proximity to the citys main attractions, the
buildings a beautiful mix of old-world charm and all the mod-cons expected by the discerning traveller. What sets the hotel apart is its home-away-fromhome atmosphere and attentive, friendly staff. www.stjamesonvenice.co.za

August 2014 Sawubona 111