History & Politics

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Champion ICU

Grey Street bears no evidence of the time of the Barracks, the Victoria Street Beerhall, the ICU and Champion. As a result this is an aspect of Grey Street′s history that is often overlooked - its association with African barracks and hostels and with the Natal Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Workers′ Union (ICU), led by A.W.G. Champion. Towards the end of the 1890s African refugees from Zululand and other African people who had lost their land moved to the city in search of a living.

At the turn of the century the majority of Africans in Durban lived in backyards, sheds, stables and other informal accommodation. At this time there was also a growing African trading class plying business in the Grey Street Area. In addition to the traders who operated from the market in Queen Street there were large numbers of men and women brewing and selling sorghum and hop beer in various parts of the Grey Street area. Many "Native eating houses" had also sprung up in this part of the City, providing food for African labourers in the town. By 1904 there were sixty Indian and African traders and twenty-five eating stalls in Grey Street and the Queen Street Market. Petty traders sold large quantities of beer from the Queen Street market. White business owners complained about the competition offered by the African meat market and the eating houses. In an attempt to control the African beer trade and to appease its white electorate the municipality proposed closing the Queen Street Market and setting up a municipal eating house. In a petition to the City Council 940 Africans appealed against the proposed closure of the market arguing that it served the African population as an orderly enterprise separate from residential areas and only sold produce from Natal. The municipality did not close down the market but opened Durban′s first municipal eating house in May 1905 on Victoria Street. 116 African traders formally protested against loss of substantial investments. It was called the Queen Street Eating House but was later renamed the Victoria Street Eating House. With the passing of the Native beer Act (No. 23) of 1908, at the instigation of the Durban City Council, the municipality acquired a monopoly over the brewing and sale of sorghum beer in Durban. Sorghum beer was sold from the Victoria Street eating house and beerhall. In this way the municipality put an end to the many African traders selling beer in the Grey Street area. The Victoria Street Beerhall became a hive of activity with African workers in the city passing their leisure time there.
Champion arrived in Durban in 1925. He was the new Natal Provincial Secretary and Durban branch chairman of the ICU. Charles L. Dube, the brother of the Reverend Dr John Langalibalele Dube, ran an eating house and general dealer shop at 37 Queen Street. He was also a master at Ohlange Institute. He introduced Champion to M.E. Paruk who rented him a warehouse at 11 Leopold Street, where the ICU had its first headquarters. Champion lived in a little room on the premises for a while. A.I. Kajee, then secretary of Natal Indian Congress, helped Champion to get his handbills printed.

Champion helped to form a Workers′ Club in Durban to run dances and concerts. The Workers Club was opened in December 1925 and operated from 11 Leopold Street. It changed its name to the Natal Workers Club in 1928. The municipality turned down the ICU′s application for a licence to run dances and concerts. Champion wrote to the Secretary for Native Affairs and reported that the Durban Municipality was interfering with efforts to reduce loneliness and homesickness among Africans in the city. He asked the government to send representatives to investigate the conditions under which he was running the club. As a result, a delegation arrived, under the chairmanship of Major Herbst, the Secretary for Native Affairs, together with Dr Roberts of Lovedale and Dr Loram, the Chief Inspector of Native Education, to watch the dances at the club. Thereafter Champion took them to the open space at Cartwright′s Flats where he put on traditional dancing.

In 1927 the annual meeting of the ICU was held in Durban at the Parsee Rustomjee hall, in Queen Street. However, so many people turned up that the hall was too small to accommodate them. It was decided that the meeting would adjourn to the Cartwright Flats where the leaders of the ICU would address the crowd.

Later on the ICU rented a hall at 117 Prince Edward Street, which became known as ICU Hall. Champion had bought a property on behalf of the ICU at 25 Leopold Street in Durban. However, as a result of a dispute between Champion and Ballinger this property, together with other properties owned by the ICU, was forfeited. The Leopold Street property was auctioned off at the end of 1928 when Cecil Courley′s firm sued the ICU for debt.

Champion went into business with Bertha Mkhize, opening a shop, the Vuka Afrika Trading Company, at 113-115 Queen Street. The business was managed by Champion′s wife, until its collapse during the 1929 disturbances.

Another African businessman who owned a business in the Grey Street area was Henry Ngwenya, from Inanda. He owned a shop at 254 Grey Street. George Lenono, who became a bitter rival of Champion in the ICU, owned a shop in Carlisle Street. Martin Luthuli, editor of Illanga lase Natal, had a business in Queen Street and the Reverend Cele ran a hotel in the Grey street area. There were also a number of black-owned shebeens in the Grey Street area, such as Ma Phillip′s which has been described as a "classy shebeen in Alice Street".

The African Market was based in Victoria Street alongside the Victoria Street Beerhall and ran from Victoria through to Queen Street. African stallholders sold meat and also made and sold shields, beadwork and traditional Zulu attire. They also ground and sold snuff on the premises.

A 1924 census showed that over 220 African traders, the majority of whom were meatsellers, herbalists and general hawkers, were operating in and around Durban′s municipally-controlled Native eating houses. They formed an African Stall Owners′ Association and held meetings in the Durban Workers′ Club.

In 1934 the Bantu Social Centre was set up with the help of white liberals in Durban. The Bantu Social Centre was based in Queen Street and was directed by the Edendale-born composer, Alfred Assegai Khumalo. Concerts, ingoma dance and boxing were held at the Bantu Social Centre.

A number of "Native dance halls′ also arose in the Grey Street area. The Bantu Social Centre was often used as a venue for musical performances and dance. Other popular dance halls were Seme′s Club and Ematramini, the disused tramway sheds in Alice Street. After the 1929 Beerhall riots the municipality closed down many of the dance halls and also passed regulations, in 1932, for their control.

In June 1929 African workers in Durban mounted a boycott of the beerhalls, in protest against the municipal beer monopoly and other grievances. The Victoria Street beerhall was one of the targets. Champion and the ICU initially gave their backing tot the beerhall boycott. On 17 June 1929 600 white "vigilantes′ surrounded the ICU Hall in Prince Edward Street. They had beaten an African to death with a pick-handle and tried to storm the hall. The white mob believed that two white "traitors", Communist Town Councillor, S.M. Pettersen and ICU organiser, A.F. Batty, were in the hall. On hearing of the siege African workers from various parts of Durban made their way to the ICU Hall. When the 6000 strong force of African workers reached the hall they were confronted by 200 whites and 360 policemen. The violent clashes that followed left 120 injured and 8 dead.

In June 1959 a group of Cato Manor women invaded the Victoria Street Beerhall. Florence Mkhize and Dorothy Nyembe led the way. Male patrons were chased out of the beerhall and the premises were ransacked. The police used teargas to clear the beerhall.

By Paul Tichman.