08-05-2025
Carefree days growing up in South End
It was, in every sense, a melting pot of cultures and faiths — be it coloured, black, white, Indian and Malay, from the Christian to Muslim, Hindu and Jewish faiths, and then also the large contingent of Italian, Greek and Chinese shopkeepers.
'There was so much harmony,' Brink said.
'Everyone knew each other.
'These days, people often don't even know their own neighbours.
Moodley added: 'I think the big word here is 'respect'.
'And I so wish that in SA , we had much more of that.
'The time we grew up was a time of apartheid, and yet we could all communicate with each other and we respected each other.
'It proved that in spite of government policy, people of all backgrounds and cultures can get on with each other.'
Arab countries had taken a stand when it came to the preservation of the Muslim mosques — the two which still stand at the site today — even going as far as taking the issue to the UN, Brink and Moodley said.
'In spite of apartheid, these were happy days for us,' Moodley said.
'People didn't need any government policy [controlling them], we proved in South End that people can get along.'
Brink said there had been 'gangs' — such as the 'Black Shirts' — but these had been worlds apart from the sort of violence and bloodshed which permeates some of the gang-ridden sections of the northern areas today.
These groupings had been more along the lines of school gangs which gave young people a sense of belonging.
And sporting talent thrived in this community.
' There was football, cricket, rugby and softball — and there was fantastic talent coming out of that.'
Both Brink and Moodley recall the forced removals as being traumatic for the families involved.
'Today some people don't understand the hurt and suffering we experienced.'
South End was known for its home industry operations and what Moodley and Brink remember most vividly were the delicious samosas and koeksisters which they enjoyed as children.
One of the saddest things for these South End veterans is the loss of a visible childhood landscape.
'We don't have an area where we can go to and say: 'This is where I grew up',' Moodley said.
'And that is so sad.
