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IOL News
16-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
A tale of two houses
This is what 69 Wills Road looked like 1994. Image: Brian Kearney THE old Durban City Council used to recognise owners - both public and private - who restored and preserved buildings of historic and architectural importance. Each year from 1986 until about 2000 when it petered out, the Council honoured those owners with a brass Conservation Award for bringing an ailing building back to life. Today, ironically, numerous buildings belonging to eThekwini are now ailing through neglect. In 1994, one of the 13 winners was the home of Nesan and Suren Pather at 69 Wills Road, near Warwick Triangle. Described as a 'charming Union period house which has been lovingly preserved,' the Heritage Green and terracotta colour scheme has been chosen by Nesan Pather. A delighted Nesan Pather as photographed in the Daily News, 4 November 1994. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The first owner of the house was probably Mr T. Oxley, as assistant linesman with the Durban Corporation, but the Pather family has owned the property since at least the 1940s. As one exited the City and travelled past Warwick Triangle towards Tollgate Bridge, the house could be seen on the left. But then something happened. Today all that remains of 69 Wills Road are the gate posts. Image: Mark Levin In the early 2000s, the house was visibly deteriorating with signs of vandalism until pats of it collapsed after it was stripped. By 2009, nothing remained. Today the site is strewn with litter. From what could be gleaned, old Mrs Pather died as did the daughter. Another daughter left after she married, while Nesan's life took a downturn and he died the decline of Wills Road, the Pather family seems to have vacated the house, providing an opportunity for vagrants and vandals. Playing soccer outside 39 Wills Road in the 1980s. Image: Supplied As the last walls of 69 Wills Road crumbled, a different future was about to begin just down the road at no.39. In that same year of 2009, Rahim Shaik bought the late Victorian house against all advice. 'Why invest in such a degraded area?' he was asked but Shaik believed it could sink any lower. He began the slow process of restoring the neglected house; two years later he and his wife were able to open the Hip Hop Kids Playcentre. 39 Wills Road is today the street's best preserved house. Image: Mark Levin Restoration of the property is ongoing as is often necessary with older properties. The house was believed to be Edwardian, but Shaik produced a copy of the plans for the house from the bottom of a suitcase, revealing that it dated to the 1890s. It was one of the first houses to be built in Wills Road. The Edwardian home at 40 Wills Road is today derelict. Its residents included the Hardouin, Azor, Docrat and Coovadia families. Image: Mark Levin There may have been a degree of sentimentality behind Shaik's purchase of his house. He had grown up in Wills Road, next door in fact to the Pather's home. Vinay Court was built in 1949 on the site of an earlier single residence at 71 Wills Road. having spent his boyhood at Vinay Court, Shaik has witnessed the many changes to the area. The forlorn state of Vinay Court today. Image: Mark Levin What is striking is that from the 1930s, White and Indian families had lived harmoniously in Wills Road until the Group Areas Act forced most Indian families to leave. Some, like the Pathers, managed to hold onto their properties; Shaiks mother refused to move from Vinay Court. The Council bought some of the houses, but today they have either been demolished or, like no. 40 are in an appalling state of decay. Student accommodation being erected on the corner of Wills and Lutman roads. Image: Mark Levin The Group Areas Act destroyed this cohesive community which has never recovered. Shaik believes that the Council still owns 16 properties in the Warwick area, which have compounded the decline. There are signs of revival. A Bentley Road cottage has been converted into student accommodation. Image: Mark Levin In Syringa and Bentley roads (which lead off Wills), there are blocks being built for student accommodation as well as a house converted for that purpose. This will bring greater security, but also rowdy, partying students. As Shaik observes, it is one step forward and one step backwards. The Driving School opposite Vinay Court in Wills Road. Image: Mark Levin Wills Road today is a far cry from its semi-rural quality when the Wills family lived there in the 19th century. Taxis are washed while their owners or drivers wait for the rush hour. Opposite Vinay Court, is a busy driving school. Caught up in legal issues, Vinay Court has now become a 'problem building.' Washing a taxi on the corner of Wills and Hampson roads. Image: Mark Levin Taxis parked along Wills Road. Image: Mark Levin Few Tribune readers would have or are likely to venture into this part of Durban. Yet on two visits only once, while about to leave, did the writer feel vulnerable. As numbers 69 and 39 illustrate, Wills Road has experienced both loss and hope. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
IOL News
14-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
The Unboxing Mayibuye Project: a digital journey through South Africa's apartheid history
The Unboxing Mayibuye has become like a walk through South African history Image: Instagram Preserving South Africa's liberation history is a gift to future generations. This according to David Martinon, Ambassador of France to South Africa, at the closing event of the Unboxing Mayibuye project on 8 May 2025. The event, held at the Nelson Mandela Gateway in Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, marked the successful conclusion of the Unboxing Mayibuye Project—a collaboration between the Robben Island Museum (RIM), the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA), and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). This initiative aimed to digitally preserve South Africa's liberation history and make it accessible to future generations. Robben Island, symbolising the struggle against apartheid, houses the Mayibuye Archives at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). These archives hold crucial collections documenting resistance to apartheid, both within South Africa and globally, spanning from 1948 to 1994. The three year project was hosted at Robben Island Museum Image: Instagram Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The successful completion of the project was a significant milestone for UWC. Professor Shaun Pather, advisor to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor at UWC, explained: 'This project has been about more than preserving artefacts. It has been about memory and justice, and making sure that the stories of struggle remain accessible and meaningful into the future.' In his keynote address, Professor Pather highlighted the project's impact on future generations: 'When youth engage with heritage, they become active participants in democracy, co-creating knowledge for the future. Our struggle for freedom wasn't just a national effort—it was global, and the Unboxing Mayibuye Project allows us to share that story with the world.' Pather went on to emphasise the importance of making South Africa's liberation history accessible in new, innovative ways: 'Our archives are not just national treasures; they are part of the collective memory of the world. Through this project, we've made sure that the legacy of our struggle is not locked away but is available for all, everywhere.' Every part of the exhibition held a special purpose Image: Instagram The project also showcased how academic institutions like UWC can link heritage, technology, and social justice. By leveraging digital tools, such as augmented reality, it ensured South Africa's liberation history reached a global audience, making it accessible to people worldwide. Over the past three years, RIM and INA worked to enhance the archives' digital preservation efforts, training six young assistants in preservation, documentation, and digitisation. A key outcome of the project was the creation of a website showcasing collections such as the International Defence and Aid Fund (IDAF) and the Apple Box Archives. The IDAF supported anti-apartheid activists, while the Apple Box Archives feature items donated by former Robben Island prisoners after their release in 1991. Many prisoners carried their belongings in apple boxes, which became a powerful symbol of their struggle. Professor Saths Cooper, Chairperson of the Robben Island Museum, highlighted how the project had made these historical treasures more accessible. 'This is a significant development, allowing us all, especially our children, to access the contributions made by those who fought for our freedom.' Echoing South Africa's G20 presidency theme of 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,' Professor Pather emphasised the project's role in engaging young people with history: 'When youth engage with heritage, they become active participants in democracy, co-creating knowledge for the future.'
