Tension Builds
Exploitation, resistance and beer
The Indian settlers were leasing land to Africans in the Cato Manor area; this led to routine charges of slum-lord tactics and exploitation laid against Indian landowners, traders and transport operators. These culminated, in January 1949, in two days of murder, pillage and arson that left 50 Indians dead, more than 500 injured and thousands in makeshift refugee camps. The Africans - whose toll was 87 killed and 550 injured - believed they'd won the 'Battle of Cato Manor'. Indian landlords and traders were replaced by black traders and shack lords, who included Esau Makatini, J Shange and Isaac Zwane. Durban's city fathers were jolted into taking responsibility - for the first time - of the African residents of Cato Manor. They began expropriating Indian-owned land there for an Emergency Camp, but its African population reached 'unmanageable levels' within five years.
In terms of the notorious Group Areas Act (1950) a proclamation was made in June 1958. In Cato Manor 25,798 Indians, 2,107 Coloureds and 28,298 Africans would be shifted. Indians will lose 2,891 acres of land and 2,444 dwellings valued at £1,685,350. Coloureds and Africans will lose over 70 acres of land and 133 dwellings valued at £25,940.
The forced removal sparked the Cato Manor riots of June 1959 and, six months later, the massacre of nine policemen. But, there was another reason for the high tensions and the resulting 1959 riots in Cato Manor, the reason was beer. In particular, the bitter dispute about who had the right to brew and sell the low-alcohol sorghum beer, or utshwala, which was such an important part of black culture.
Towards the end of the 19th century growing numbers of black people moved into Durban and did not have the time or space to brew their own beer. Entrepreneurs stepped in to fill the gap and there was soon a thriving industry including some large-scale brewing operations but a lot of the beer was brewed by women, who earned their living by selling it in town.
The authorities in Durban were keen to have black people around town for their labour but they were concerned that the relatively small white community would be overwhelmed if uncontrolled black urbanisation was allowed. They therefore introduced a system to control the influx of black people by forcing them to have permits to be in town.
This system would have cost ratepayers a lot of money but the authorities worked out a way to make it self-financing. They were the instigators behind the passing of the Native Beer Act of 1908, in terms of which municipalities in Natal were given the sole right to brew and sell beer within their boundaries.
The Durban municipality soon began to brew its own beer and sell it through a network of beerhalls, which it established. The first municipal beerhall opened in 1909 and soon the system was reaping huge profits. Every effort was made to stamp out the illegal brewing and the sale of beer through regular police raids.
Great numbers of people lost their means to earn a living because of this policy and, even if they did not stop brewing beer, there was always the risk of a raid. This and the fact that beer in beerhall were expensive, led to great bitterness and outbreaks of violence, including one in 1929 in which a number of people were killed.
Cato Manor grew in leaps and bounds during World War II when there was a boom in Durban's economy and a vast increase in the demand for labour. By the end of the war there were probably 30000 squatters in the area. The local economy was vibrant and self-employed people pursued their trades freely, which they were prevented from doing in town by the Jobs Reservation Act. In the background, however, the dispute over the brewing and sale of beer was still ever present and the municipal beerhall in Cato Manor was the focus of much ill feeling, particularly among the women who felt that it was stealing their livelihoods. Illegal brewing still went on and children on watch would shout "meleko, meleko, meleko" (milk, milk, milk) whenever the police appeared.
The tension over the ‘beer issue’ and the looming forced removals culminated in June 1959.