May 31: What's on in Durban
Image: Supplied
MARKETS
Shongweni Farmers & Craft Market: Spend time with family (pets included) and friends outdoors. Traders sell everything from fresh produce and deli food to arts and crafts. Walk the short nature trail or have a zipline adventure. Open rain or shine, and wheelchair accessible from 7am to 1pm.
Hillcrest Antique Fair: (today) Dealers will be selling an array of antiques and collectables including: silver, linen, books, records, porcelain, beautiful murano glass, jewellery etc at Hillcrest Corner Shopping Mall. Saturday May 31 from 9 to 3pm. Call Helen Clementz on 084 241 0241.
Musgrave Market: Head to Berea Park for food, music, arts and crafts. From 9am to 2pm.
Buzz Market: Community market at 38 Pitlochry Road, Westville, 9am to 2pm.
Ballito Farmers Market: More than 150 traders offer fresh farm produce, cut flowers and a nursery, retail, fashion, kids' entertainment, art, hobbies, crafted goods and lifestyle products. R103 at Umhlali. 7am to 2pm.
Harlequins Flea Market: Every Saturday from 8am to 1pm. New vendors welcome. WhatsApp 083 595 7033 or email harlequinsmarket@gmail.com
Rotary Uvongo Flea Market: Crafts, toys, bead work, wire work, clothing and food every Saturday from 8.30am to 1pm and Sunday 9am to 2pm, opposite Douglas Mitchell Sports Grounds. Call 082 829 0059.
Golden Hours Market: (tomorrow) Family-friendly market at Golden Hours School, 10am to 2pm. Live music and food stalls. Call 083 262 3693.
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Macnut Farm, Assagay: (tomorrow) Fresh produce market for locals, 11am to 2pm. Sunday lunch, drinks and bar. Call 031 765 2572 or 074 603 0000.
uMhlanga Farmers Market: Autumn Drive, Prestondale, every Wednesday from 8am to noon. Call Ethel at 060 303 3957.
La Lucia Antiques Fair: Province's premier antiques fair offers a feast of fun, funky and forgotten treasures from yesteryear. From the gloriously grand to the quixotic and quirky. Sunday June 1 from 9am to 4pm on the lower ground floor of the La Lucia Mall.
SHOWS
iZulu Theatre, Sibaya: (today) KZN Bollywood Idol was founded in 2023 by Risa Raeanne Moodley to allow people to have their moment on stage showcasing their singing talent. A live band, GM Vikings, will back the contestants, as well as Raeanne and her co-singers. Saturday, May 31 at 7pm. Tickets R100 from Ticketpro.
Playhouse Opera: (today) Cape Town City Ballet and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra present Coppélia a true love triumph in this enchanting fairytale, which features three main characters - the young Franz, his fiancée Swanilda and the mysterious doll-maker, Dr. Coppelius, who creates the life-like doll, Coppélia. May 31 at 2pm at 7pm. Tickets R 150-R210 on webtickets.
The Seabrookes Theatre: The third annual family-friendly 031 Theatre Festival takes place from Fri June 6 to Sun June 8. The festival will feature various productions that are performing at this year's National Arts Festival in Makhanda / Grahamstown. The programme features two comedy / dramas (I Can Buy Myself Flowers; Becoming Benno) one improv show (Comedy Games), a cabaret (Ethel) and two musical comedies (ADHD; Date Night). Full programme and tickets from webtickets.
Rhumbelow Theatre: Barry Thomson & The Reals present SUGAR MAN – A Tribute to Rodriguez. Who would know that an unknown album from an unknown artist in 1970 would become a huge phenomenon in South Africa? Rodriguez himself, as well as most other Americans were never aware of his huge success. Saturday June 7 at 7.30pm and Sunday June 8 at 2pm. Tickets R200 from roland@stansell.co.za or webtickets
MUSIC
The Barn on The Square, Westown: (tomorrow) Make a date at Durban's hottest new entertainment venue. On June 1 from 11am to 2pm catch Trevor Don Jeany and then from 3pm-6pm The Kickstands take the stage.
All Souls Church, Salt Rock: (tomorrow) Pianist Chris Duigan presents Lives of the Piano, a thrilling and diverse selection of mostly classical piano. It features iconic pieces, such as Mendelssohn's 'Rondo cappricioso'' and Liszt's "Un Sospiro," as well as Chopin's Scherzo No 2. June 1 at 3pm. Also June 3 at 7pm at St Agnes Church Kloof. Tickets R150 from www.musicrevival.co.za
The Chairman: (today)Acclaimed South African pianist, composer, and scholar Sibusiso 'Mash' Mashiloane is set to release his eighth album, Isigqi, live at the bird's eye. The live launch event is at The Chairman on June 1, featuring a stellar line-up of celebrated musicians. Tickets from Quicket.
Durban Jewish Club: Friends of Music present An Afternoon of Song featuring rising soprano Nontobeko Bhengu, winner of the prestigious Fleur de Cap award accompanied by soprano and pianist Lisa Englebreght. Sunday June at 2.30pm. Tickets R140/ students R50 at the door. For more information contact millark.millar@gmail.com or 071 505 1021.
Playhouse Opera: A two season Winter series by the KZNPO features in June. Both concerts at 7pm. On June 19 Maestro Daniel Boico returns with Qinisela Sibisi's Umnkenenezo (Serenade). Russian pianist Andrey Gugnin then takes centre stage in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 1 while Dvořák's Symphony No 7 is the finale. On June 26 Following a curtain-raiser by the KZN Youth Orchestra, Conrad van Alphen takes the podium and with celebrated Russian violinist Andrey Baranov puts his stamp on Édouard Lalo's virtuosic Symphonie Espagnole. Beethoven's Sixth Symphony ends the evening. For season tickets with a 15-20% discount mail info@kznphil.org.za or call 031 369 9438. Individual tickets from Quicket
ART
KZNSA: Exhibition groundWork: 25 Years of Activism for Environmental Justice is a collaboration with activists and professional workers from groundWork, offering a profound exploration of the organisation's rich and impactful history. Curated by Vaughn Sadie, drawing from the extensive resources of groundWork's archive, the exhibition is a powerful testament to community resilience, activism, and advocacy. Ends June 8.
Woza Moya Gallery, Hillcrest: The exhibition Behind Closed Doors opened last night. Features the work of artist Sinethemba Ndimande, and photographers Masibulele Nako and Manelisi Nene.
OUTDOORS
Amblers Hiking Club: (tomorrow) At 2pm on Sunday June 1 hike Palmiet Nature Reserve, Westville, to helicopter rock and Cascade. Meet at the reserve at Old New Germany road opposite the Westville Hotel, Westville. Call David on 072 615 0559.
Recycles Group: Meet at 9am on Tuesdays at the parking area behind Pirates life saving club. For a 20 km ride on the promenade. Open to beginners, sociable, safe and an option for a breakfast at Pirates coffee shop. Call Ian to join on 083 675 2125.
Retreads walking group: Join for a 3 or 5 km social walk on Tuesdays at 9am on the promenade followed with an option of breakfast at Pirates. Call Michele on 083 779 7443
Mountain Biking Rides: Saturdays at 6am, meet at Dura Cycles, Uvongo. Call 039 315 7359.
EVENTS
Pavilion Shopping Centre: (today and tomorrow) The annual East Meets West Bridal Fair comes once more to Durban's Pavilion Shopping Centre to assist and inspire those preparing for their dream wedding. Engaged-to-be-married couples can enter a phenomenal competition and stand in line to win fabulous prizes – the winner receiving a bespoke Durban wedding valued at more than R170 000.
Scottburgh: To celebrate World Ocean Day next month, the Ocean Festival will return to Scottburgh, from June 5 to 8. This epic event will include a new event this year – The Ocean Warriors National Series. Join several engaging outdoor events and activities suited to all ages. These include: Leatherback Rum Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge, The Ocean Warriors National Series, beach clean-up at Scottburgh, Aliwal Shoal scuba diving reef clean-up, Mahlongwa River paddle and clean-up, school education workshop presented by SAAMBR, ocean conservation science and research presentations, film screening at Cutty Sark Hotel, live music, Made for More adaptive surf therapy session and sunrise beach yoga. Full programme at www.oceanfestival.co.za
Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market: In conjunction with the Independent on Saturday, join us for CraftFest - a celebration of craftmanship and creativity. Enjoy a taste sensation with craft beer, spirits, artisan food and crafters showcasing their skills. Live local bands all day long and Under 18 tickets include access to the Kids Zone free of charge. Join us this Father's Day for a family celebration. June 15 from 10am to 6pm. Tickets R100 adults, R50 children from Quicket.
Kings Park Stadium: Don't rush off after you complete this year's Durban SPAR Women's 10/5km Challenge on Sunday 22 June, as two proudly Durban acts take to the stage in the finish area. Veranda Panda and DJ Dlala Thukzin are lined up to entertain participants and supporters on either side of the prize giving on race day.
Send your event details to satevents@inl.co.za by the Tuesday before publication.
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Next Stay Close ✕ In this column we present, the name Sam China who, if you were the follower of the game of football, would be as well-known as a Patel's beans bunny in the 1960s. It is a story of a of a man who arrived as an indentured labourer and built a life that would give so much to a people who had so little. We honour Sam China and the legacy he bequeathed. The name Sam China was inscribed in the memory of many generations as the name of the premier soccer competition in which Indians competed nationally until the 1970s. As the 1960 tournament brochure described it, the 'nameless, magic quality of the Sam China Cup kept pulling them in, in their usual thousands'. Many Indians made their way to Kimberley following the diamond boom. Image: Supplied Sam China was six when he arrived in Natal in 1863 as Camatchee Seeneevassen, indentured number 1856, on the Earl of Hardinch from the French colony of Pondicherry (now Pudicherry) in September 1863 with his parents Seeneevassen Maurimutoo and Anundoyee, and siblings Peraman, Arjoonenv, Rungasawmy, and Veramah. As a teenager, Sam China worked for William Hartley's Overport Sugar and Coffee Estate, which covered the greater part of present-day Overport and subsequently joined a M Smith, manager of Standard Bank, as a "stable boy". Students of the Perseverance School, Kimberley, early 20th Century Image: Supplied Sam China gave up his right to a free return passage to India when he obtained a licence on 31 March 1875 to leave Natal. Together with five friends, legend has it that they went by foot Kimberley in 21 days. Sam China was part of a stream of Indians who moved to Kimberley where the diamond industry was flourishing. The newspaper Diamond Fields published an article in 1874 on Indian life in Kimberley: 'Our Coolie friends are on the rampage just now. Generally speaking, the mild Hindu on the diamond fields takes life and its cares more easily than other exotics. At all hours of the day, let alone the night, they may be found in their odorous quarters, some playing pitch and toss for shillings and half crowns, some chanting their devotions in the whine of primitive piety, some professing to sell stale cucumbers, and other green and yellow impositions; all enjoying an enviable immunity from solicitude.' Sam China (right) with some of Kimberley's leading merchants. Image: Supplied Another report in Diamond Fields in 1880 observed that Indians earned a living as 'itinerant purveyors of fruit and vegetables', barbers, proprietors of hot and cold baths, and waiters. By 1899, there were approximately 1 500 Indians in Kimberley out of a population of around 35 000. Sam China worked for Rogers Bros for several years before opening his own general dealer's and fruit business in Kimberley in the mid-1880s. He was well known to influential white figures in the city, including mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes. Several members of his extended family followed him. Sam China had two daughters, Patty, who married boxing promoter Nat Moodley, and Valliamah, who married Leo Gopaul and was one the first Indian women councillors in the Cape. Nat Moodley was a renowned figure in the sporting world. He was president of the Natal Indian Football Association, executive member and treasurer of the Durban Indian Sports Ground Association and manager of Natal teams at the Sam China Cup. He was best known as a boxing promoter whose bouts drew thousands to Curries Fountain. Nat Moodley's only son, named Sam China after his grandfather but popularly known as 'Booysie', was associated with Young Aces soccer club for many years. Sam China has been described as "at heart, a great philanthropist whose hands itched to give generously to any cause that required his support". He is most famous for donating a trophy for which Indian provincial teams competed. He saw the national competition as an opportunity to bring Indians together and forge a common Indian South African identity. The Sam China Cup was designed and manufactured in London by Lezard and Robins. The tournament, held under the auspices of the South African Indian Football Association, generated great excitement and the games avidly followed. One official reflected in 1960 that "not even Sam China, however much he may have stretched his imagination, could have visualised the impact his munificence in the presentation of the Cup would have on Indian soccer in particular and non-White soccer in South Africa in general, thirty years after his death". The magic ended when the final whistle was blown in Chatsworth in 1973. His contemporaries' wonderful memories were recorded in tributes such as the following: 'Those who have had the privilege of knowing him attest to the fact that Sam China was a man of unimpeachable trustworthiness, possessed of a driving force, and a shrewd business brain that gave him the Midas touch… "He was a martinet who carried himself with an old world dignity. His ability to analyse a given situation, his clarity of thought, and the gift of galvanising those around him into immediate action to meet any problem lifted him above mediocrity. His was not the good fortune to receive formal education but he was one of the best informed men of his day… But of all his attributes his greatest was his ability to make and keep friends. He never forgot his beginnings, however much he rose as an amazingly successful businessman and outstanding public figure.' Sam China died in Kimberley on September 9, 1930, appropriately when footballers from all over South Africa had gathered in Kimberley to participate in the Sam China Cup. The captains of the participating teams acted as pall-bearers while all the players wore black armbands throughout the tournament. It was a fitting farewell for one who rose from indenture to become a great sports benefactor, and whose name and legend lives on. As the 95th anniversary of his death looms, think about Sam China as you get engrossed once more by the English Premier League. Spare a smile for a man who walked from Overport to Kimberley and reputedly introduced himself to Cecil John Rhodes with the words; 'China, Sam China from India'. Ashwin Desai Image: File Goolam Vahed Image: File Ashwin Desai is at the University of Johannesburg and Goolam Vahed is at the University of KwaZulu Natal. THE POST
