BEFORE I go any further, let me just say it: The Isipingo central business district is one big slum. I have never seen anything like it in the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal, and as a journalist, I have travelled far and wide.
It reminds me of the stretch along Plein Street in Johannesburg between Twist and Wanderers streets. I apologise if someone is offended by me calling a spade a spade.
The first time I ever went to Isipingo was in 2021, and there are literally no pavements to walk on as they have all been taken over by hawkers who have set up their rickety tables. Now, in this politically correct era we live in, where one has to watch everything one says, that might sound wrong because everyone has to make a living, as in our country, 70% of the people between the ages of 16 and 35 are unemployed.
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I have constantly wondered, ‘Why has this town been allowed to get into this condition?’ I have seen photographs online from years gone by when Isipingo looked decent. Looking at those photos, it is hard to believe this is the same place. I believe the town has tipped over to the point where it would actually prove almost impossible to get things right again.
As you walk along what is left of the pavement, you have to be careful not to knock over tables and the wares displayed on them, while also avoiding chest-bumping other pedestrians or stepping into sewage that is freely flowing between the market stands. Hawkers scream at the top of their voices, trying to get your attention. There is nothing you cannot buy in Isipingo. Whether it is utensils that you are looking for, food, illicit drugs or furniture, you will get it in Isipingo. For the right price, you can even buy a bed with a person already in it.
It might seem cruel when a gogo from Umgababa, who has illegally set up a rickety table in the Amanzimtoti CBD, has her stock confiscated, but we are actually trying to avoid the Isipingo scenario where there are shacks right in the middle of town.
If one browses through the eThekwini Municipality’s Facebook page and looks at the various programmes that are rolled out by the City, few are ever brought down to Isipingo and Amanzimtoti. It is mostly the western and central wards that seem to get a lion’s share of these various programmes. Maybe people in Isipingo and Amanzimtoti did not vote accordingly.
It is my hope that something is done to make Isipingo great again so that its residents live without fear of the crime that is bred by the chaos and filth that is currently taking place.
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