Warwick Junction
A transport hub in Durban where the Victoria Street Market and Brook Street stalls sell herbs and roots to Zulu healers and families.
Practised and told of here
Best time: Weekday mornings.
Warwick Junction is where trains, taxis and buses meet. Beneath the roads is a trading area with stalls for food, beads and traditional medicine, and thousands of traders work there daily.
The herb market
Stalls sell roots, bark, bulbs and bundles of dried plants, some brought from rural areas. Many of the traders are women, called amagosa. Customers include sangomas, inyangas and ordinary families who buy remedies for ailments or rites. Conservationists have warned that overharvesting has endangered some plants, and replanting projects exist.
Place and city
The area was saved from clearance in the 1990s by traders' organising, and it has since been used as an example in urban planning. Healers are licensed through associations, and the law on traditional health practice was passed in 2007.
Visiting
Walk with a local guide from a tourism group. Ask permission before photographing, and do not ask traders for substances that are restricted.
A respectful visit to Warwick Junction
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- The Brook Street Market See the herb stalls.
- Victoria Street Market See the traditional goods.
- The Bridge City Look at the old street, and the way the market was saved.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Warwick Junction, Durban" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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