By HERMAN LATEGAN
After reading for about a week in Cape Town’s dailies that the Salt River landmark, The Junction Hotel, had collapsed in the rain, I was overcome with nostalgia. I sat down at once and reminisced about the old days in my melancholic vignette called “Return to Sender”.
However, yesterday I decided to head out to Salt River and check out the scene for myself. It was a wonderful, colourful, mad afternoon, spent in a suburb that I am now totally gripped by. The good news is that The Junction Hotel still stood firmly, painted white, although completely shut down, closed up and with its windows barred. It stands out like a large wedding cake in an area that is under a bridge, run down and utterly impoverished.
What did collapse was the row of annexed houses right behind the hotel, also referred to as The Blue Buildings, as well as The Junction. I remember these homes were an integral part of the old hotel, with many of the staff who worked at The Junction Hotel living there. Occasionally the ladies of the demimonde used it as a cosy retreat from the cold weather outside.
The barman, who had one arm, also lived here.
I was shocked to see that this once beautiful row of houses had collapsed, balconies crumbled to dust, floors ripped out, faeces scattered all around. It served as a shelter to the numerous refugees in the area and somehow melted away slowly over the strain of the years, under heat waves, cold fronts and time.
Apparently the owner died years ago and the buildings thus belonged to nobody. Odd, I wonder if any of the dailies had checked this out at the Deeds Office, as the story does sound fishy. Obviously, it will be demolished, which is a whole story on its own. (The slow erosion of beautiful old buildings in Cape Town that usually give way to monolithic, bland architectural monstrosities, which like poisonous mushrooms, pop up all over the place after the rain.)
But what an interesting time I had checking out the scenery. I arrived in Salt River and parked near its signature traffic circle. In front of me was a large minibus, with the words JESUS IS LOVE written on the rear window. Really? The way the world looks to me, I don’t see much of that around, I thought to myself.
But then I noticed a long queue of men standing next to the minibus. I walked closer and saw that they were being dished up plates (paper) of delicious looking, piping hot stews. They looked more than happy, they flashed white smiles and it was probably their only meal of the day.
After my visit to The Junction Hotel, I crossed the bridge to the Salt River Fruit and Veg Market. Here I met a fascinating old lady, who has been selling fruit, veggies and blatjang from the same spot for over 60 years. She is well into her eighties and unfortunately I could not get her name, as she was too busy serving a string of cosmopolitan looking customers, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I saw fresh garlic, red-hot chillies, sweet potatoes, various curry powders, spices and lots more. The smells were delicious.
I will go back and interview her as she is most probably a mine of historical information about the area, the people and everything else. From there I ventured into some backstreets, peeping into windows, doing some people spotting.
Here, in the backstreets of Salt River, there is life on the streets. Front doors are wide open and you can see right into the lives and kitchens of people you have never met before. The aroma of tomato bredie was thick in the air. I passed an ordinary looking little house but something tickled my fancy. I walked closer; a sign said THE TORCH BEARER. A steel gate opened onto a tiny balcony and then suddenly the front door opened.
“Come in,” a young man with a beanie whispered. On entering the house, I discovered a type of pub I have never seen in my life before. The open plan kitchen had an aviary, filled with tweeting birds flying around. There were some blurry fish tanks, as well as something, in another spot, that looked like a hamster. The fish are fed tiny cockroaches, so if you spot one, you are not allowed to kill it. Simply pop it into the tank.
On the chair behind the bar, lay a kitten. A tabby, pavement special type of fluffy fur.
And then I saw the food: At a table in the corner, two guys were devouring huge, huge plates of half-a-chicken and chips. The price, only R30. I know of no other place in Cape Town where you can get a plate of food in that size for only R30.
What a find. (To book, Tel: 021 447 2639.) Yes, I know, it all sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? It’s like “the monkey’s off my back but the circus is in town” type of feeling.
I sat down and ordered a glass of wine from the young man in the beanie. A woman next to me cackled like a sailor’s girlfriend, another man with large rings on his fingers sat reading Die Burger.
The page showing my way read: Building collapses
About 70 residents of the 110-year-old Junction Hotel in Salt River had to hurriedly evacuate the shaking, rumbling building before part of it collapsed. Years of seasonal rain damage and a lack of maintenance finally caused the building’s demise.
Strange that, isn’t it? That all roads lead to the Salt River Traffic Circle…and beyond.
* Herman Lategan is a Cape Town-based freelance journalist dabbling in the blogging world and we’re pleased to have him here.
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June 10th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Herman, what a wonderful piece of writing! I read it with pleasure at my desk as I nibbled on a fast food pita and wished I was in Salt River drinking a vino and watching the world go by. I loved Salt River and Woodstock when we lived in Cape Town… to me it seemed the last part of Cape Town that felt real. Please write more like this. These vignettes celebrate the characters of our cities that often seem lost to the dreary sameness of everyday life.
I hope I don’t sound like too much of a ponce but I loved this post.
June 10th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Thank you Andrew. Much Appreciated.
June 10th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Evocative, read and re-read with enjoyment. Even the one armed barman was a jigsaw piece through a mist of ancient memory. The wonderfully colourful area, I hope it begins to improve. It might be the last part of Cape Town to embody the soul and essence of this city and its resilient humour. Plus those wonderful smells of bredie, the comfort food of the Cape. Not the sanitized apartments of the CBD with their look-at-us-we-could-be-in-Europe pose. So just go to Europe then. And when did we start saying “apartments” and “villas”? I suppose when estate agents discovered Camps Bay could be flogged to rich foreigners who can’t cut it in South of France society. Its as well that many of the Salt River buildings are protected by the Heritage Resources Act, otherwise it would become a soulless “everywhere looks like everywhere else” place with the cursory glance towards Mies van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson. Thanks for those memories.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:23 am
A fantastic piece of writing Herman. I feel like running out of this monolithic glass office building and heading for Salt River market right now. I remember going there as a child with my mother and her friend Shirley in a red Anglia. I can still remember the curry and spice aroma and the Cape accents of the ladies selling the fruit and veg. . My father had a friend who owned a shop called Jack’s Shoe Bazaar on Lower Main Road for many years. Alas most of the old Jewish shopkeepers in the area are no longer there or on this earth for that matter. I have always loved Salt River and you have managed to capture the spirit of it. Well done!
June 11th, 2009 at 10:16 am
This is why it is a crime for you to be stuck in an office. A beautiful piece. Go forth and find more and bring it to us. xxx
June 11th, 2009 at 10:34 am
delicious! The problem with buildings that are protected by the Heritage Resources Act is that the restrictions can limit landlords to what may be done to the building. Upkeep is often very expensive and if the building can’t pay for itself then it is left to the will of nature and the gods. You should see what has happened to the city centre of PE… What we need are afew business people who love heritage as much as money to SAlt River and give the place some acrhitectural nip/tuck, restore the old beauty to her formar self. Good job Herman!
June 11th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Regarding old, beautiful buildings in old cities: we should do what they did in Prague (after the collapse of the commies) rent them out to the big corporations and make them sign on the dotted line that they would pay for their upkeep and/or rebuild or refurbish them in their original style. Praha, as she is known, is a grand old dame today and a world city, with all her ‘lace’ intact!
June 11th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Sounds a great idea, but in those countries the state was the owner of the buildings. Even so, don’t know how they got companies to agree to pay rent and also spend large amounts on renovation. I think large companies did develop, but in return for exclusive rights to those rundown buildings and land . For example, ING Real Estate, part of ING Bank, purchased land from the City of Prague no doubt at a give-away price, but with the idea that large scale development would trigger further development and revive the rundown suburbs. Another idea would be an incentive, say rent free, five years (or however long is economic with regard to the cost, and the value of the incentive), bring us your plan to renovate, if we like, you get. If renovation according to the winnng proposal is not complete within a time period, pre-agreed default rent payable, back dated, interest and penalty. Could work with council buildings and properties, where the city retains ownership and eventually receives market related income, and it and the community gets a nice well cared for building.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
Well done.YOU have truly captured my senses.Please research a piece on the AVALON and GEM movie houses ( bioscopes ) .I am a cabinet maker that can appreciate a well written piece
July 6th, 2009 at 4:09 am
Good post! I plan to move into this stuff after I’m done with school, as most of it is time consuming. It’s a great post to reference back to. My blog needs more time to gain in popularity anyway.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:10 am
This is a great article. I’m new to blogging but still learning. Thanks for the great resource.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Lovely article– could you please give more specific directions on how to find the Salt River Fruit and Veg market. I’m new to Cape Town and it sounds fantastic.