14-05-2025
Morning at the Joburg Market
Opened in 1887 at Johannesburg's Market Square, the Joburg Market moved to Newtown in 1913 and finally found a permanent home at City Deep in September 1974. It opens its doors for trade in the early morning hours.
The building welcomes buyers with numbered pictures of vegetables and fruit that show which hall is where. When you enter the trade hall, your ears are met with the hustle and buzz of trade and your eyes are greeted by the 4,500 tons of fresh produce sold daily.
On the trade floor you see a trader counting money, while another is helping a buyer to carry the produce they have bought. The hooting of forklifts carrying produce and the sound of trolleys being pushed and pulled into trading stalls remind you that everyone is here to make a living. Everything happens so fast that the two hours I spent here flew past.
By the time you leave the trading halls, the sun is up and buyers are carrying their produce to their vehicles.
The market's spokesperson Tshegofatso Maakwe said it averages sales of R40m daily, with a daily record of R66m, and an average monthly turnover of R946m.
The Joburg Market hosts the World Union of Wholesale Markets Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre from Wednesday to Friday, with more than 20 countries in attendance.
