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GREY STREET CASBAH & SURROUNDINGS NEWS Africa
Dedicated to the Casbah spirit of Aziz Hassim Grey Street Casbah Recipes (Durban)
greystreetcasbah@gmail.com Grey Street Casbah Publications

Edition 42 - Vol 5 01 August 2017

Stories and adverts from The Leader - year 1973

FATIMA MEER SEE MANDELA ON

ROBBEN ISLAND

The Mandela Girls, Zenzi and Zeni, photographed with Dr. Naicker, during their stay in Durban with the Meers at Easter.

Mrs Fatima Meer, the well-known South Africa sociologist talked to Mr We spent a packed half hour talking and time went so fast.
Nelson Mandela, one of the key figures in the now-banned African national
Congress, for half an hour on Robben Island last Saturday. Mrs Meer described the trip to and from Robben Island as an anxious 45
minute ride. The Blacks travel in the hold of the ferry while the Whites
It is learnt that Mrs Meer left Durban by air at short notice after learn- were on the deck.
ing that she had been granted a special visit. Mrs Meer was asked to be
present at the Robben Island ferry in Cape Town last Saturday. She is She added that Mandela appeared to be slimmer but seemed to be in good
the only black South African to have been allowed to visit Mandela who is health. Earlier this year and Australian journalist, David McNicol, was
serving a life imprisonment on the maximum security island prison. allowed to spend a day on the island prison and report on conditions there.

The Meer and Mandela families have been close friends for many years He was also allowed to Mandela and Neville Alexander for an hour each.
and this is how it was possible for the visit to be arranged. Mrs Winnie His report entitled Surprises on Robben Island, was published by the
Mandela, who is under house arrest in Soweto, knew of the visit. Rand Daily Mail on July 12 after it had been submitted to the Commis-
sioner of Prisons in terms of the requirements of Section 44(f) of the Pris-
This is regarded as a family visit which prisoners are entitled to peri- ons Act. Certain deletions were made.
odically when immediate members of the families are allowed such non-
contact visits. McNicoll reports that Mandela is just completing his LLb by correspond-
ence with London University, and law book predominated among litera-
The Mandelas two daughters, Zeni (14) and Zenzi (12) who are at Water- ture on his shelves.
ford School in Swaziland, spent their Easters holidays with the Meers in
Durban, and they will only be able to visit their father after they turn 16. Mandela, who obtained his B.A. and Attorneys Admission Certificate be-
fore his imprisonment, is allowed to have his reading lights on until 11pm
When The Leader approached Mrs Meer for her comments on her visit a security light burns all night in every individual cell.
to Robben Island and her meeting with Mandela she replied that it was
purely a family visit of valuable experience to her. Asked if he got depressed Mandela replied: No. We devise our own ways
of obtaining information and this stops us getting depressed. On this is-
I was very glad for the opportunity to have met Nelson after these 10 land we abound with hope. I can say I have never had a single moment of
years and I found him very much the hero I knew him to be. I thought his depression because I know that my cause will triumph. I am satisfied with
spirits were high and he seemed keenly alert to his surroundings and the the way things are proceeding. he said.
problems facing the people of South Africa.
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 2

The three stages of roti. The newly formed is in the pot on the right
while the original one that belonged to an Isipingo Beach family is in the
pot on the left. The glass plate contains the tea that has since given rise
to yet another roti.

Roti under observation:

day-to-day findings
Youve read about it. Now heres a first hand account of the amazing roti that keeps
multiplying itself and is becoming much sought-after by thousands of people mainly
as a cure for their ailments.

I obtained one of these rotis in order to keep a close observation upon it. I was given
the roti last Saturday evening and the family who gave it to me gave precise instruc-
tions in regard to procedure I should follow. I had to observe a strict prayer schedule.

Although a Muslim the Hindu family who gave me the roti said that ones faith did
not have any bearing on the matter. The roti would continue to multiply itself as long
as there was strict adherence to personal cleanliness. I have since followed the basic
instructions.

I took the roti home and placed it in a new pot and covered it with a small measure
of black tea. I placed the lid on and sprinkled fresh flower petals over it. Then I lit an
incense stick and turned the pot seven times in a clockwise direction. Here are my day-
to-day observations:

Sunday: I had a bath (as instructed) and did my prayer where the roti was kept. I
then removed the lid of the pot and drained out the old tea. I tasted some of this and
discovered it tasted like wine. I noted the roti had thickened already. I poured in
some fresh black tea, closed the lid, placed some fresh flowers on the pot and com-
pleted my prayers.I repeated the ritual in the evening.

Monday: I had a bath once again, removed the lid from the pot and the flower petals
and drained out the old tea and placed this in another new container for further ob-
servation. I then poured in fresh black tea into the original pot and finished the ritual
with fresh flowers and prayer. In the evening I repeated the process.

Tuesday: Some progress noted. There were distinct signs of the roti increasing in size.
Then I checked the tea I had drained into a new container and discovered a thin disc-
like layer. Somewhat jelly-like.

I checked again in the evening and noted that the little disc in the container had be-
come more pronounced and appeared very much like the one I had in the pot. I re-
moved this one and had it placed in a new larger container.

Wednesday: Further progress noted. While the original roti in the pot reached maxi-
mum size, the little one which was removed from the small container was growing in
size.

NB: Further progress leading to the seventh and final day will be published in our next
issue together with pictures.

 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 3

CURRENT ADVERTS AND NEWS

Sheer
Driving Pleasure
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 4

Dr. Monty Naicker, one time president of the South African Indian Congress, was guest of honour at the
annual awards presentation dance of the Durban Golf Club held at the Himalaya Hotel on Saturday. He was
photographed (above left) dancing with Miss Singh. On the right his former Congress colleague, Mr. J. N.
Singh is seen dancing with Mrs. Singh.

The ex-Students Society of Centenary In-

dian High School will hold their annual
Debs Ball at the Durban City Hall on
August 11, when the young ladies will be
presented to Mrs. N. B. Naidoo, wife of
the principal of the school, Picture shows
Miss Suria Naicker (above) and Miss
Shamola Haricharan (below) who will
participate in the caning out occasion.

Dr. and Mrs. Nadarajoo of Verulam

dancing at the Green Cat. They will be
leaving shortly for Canada.
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 5

Miss Rose and Miss Mona pose for the

cameraman at Verulams Green Cat.

Miss Sarojini Naidoo, of Mt. Edgecombe,

who was chosen Sari Queen in a contest
held in conjunction with a big band con-
test held at Mt. Edgecombe.
Photo: Jimmy Govender

Miss Suria Repetti dancing at the newley

opened Asoka on Saturday night when
the Chatsworth Cheshire Homes
Committee held a grand fund raising Miss Saroj Naidoo photographed at the
ball. Apollo.
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 6

Nurses graduation
About 60 nurses attached to the R.K. Khan Hospital, in Chatsworth, graduated at a ceremony held last
Friday. The picture above shows some of the dignatories and the nurses on the Stage before the latter re-
ceived their certificates.
LEFT: Miss Romela Mothiram who obtained a pass with distinction in the examinations of the S.A. Nurs-
ing Council.

The Education Division of the Dept. of Indian Affairs conducted a orientation course for teachers at Dur-
bans Orient Hall Last week. Prof. J. W. Grossert, of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Dur-
ban Westville, is seen presenting a certificate to Mrs. G. D. N. Dharman at the conclusion of the course. More
than 100 teachers participated.

We are looking to buy a LP by the Kashi Orchestra, a Christian

band that used to perform in the early 70s.This band was made up
of mainly non-professional musicians and they used to sing mostly
vernacular songs for the Late Pastor JF Rowlands crusades.
If you have a copy or know anyone that has a copy, please give
Kenneth Bedessya call on 083 227 2884

THE RICHEST BARTENDER
For more than 40 years Soobramoney Pillay Soobrie
to his friends has been serving drinks in a Durban
bar. But when he cashes up at the end of the evening, he
drives home in one of his three cars to his plush home
in the Durban suburbs the sort of house no ordinary
bartender could ever hope to own. But then, Soobrie is
no ordinary bartender.
Its five oclock, on any working day outside Durbans
West End Hotel, home-bound traffic thunders down
Pine Street, jockeying for the fastest lane before hitting
the Western Freeway, Pedestrians, scurrying lemming-
like for trains and buses, spill over the pavement and
into the road. All is noise and confusion and heat.
Inside the West End Hotel, its also noisy, but the
sounds are not those of blaring hooters and screeching
tyres. Instead, in the bars there is babble of conversa-
tion, an occasional gust of laughter, and the constant
call of
Soobrie, cmere, mate
Soobrie two Lions and a Castle thanks
Soobrie, give us change for the smokes machine, will
you...
Behind the bar, a thick-set silver-haired Indian, with
the sort of face you cant really put an age to, lifts his
hand Wait, wait to the calls, smiles greetings to
familiar faces, fills orders with hands that move with
the ease of custom and experience. His name is Soobra-
money Pillay, and hes been working at the West End
Hotel for 50 years.
Theyre a friendly lot, the West End regulars. A bois-
terous crew. Some of them might have strayed, in their
time, over the lane of honesty. Others might get a bit
quick with their fists when theyve had a few. But Soo-
brie Pillay can handle any trouble that might flare up.
Occasionally a thirsty newcomer comes into the pub.
His order taken care of, he might offer Soobrie a tip.
Soobrie will smile his thanks, and put the cash into a
collection box, one of the many that dot the bar counter.
Very generous of them, isnt it? Well, yes and no for, if
truth be told, Soobrie Pillay has no need of tips to sup-
plement his income. Soobrie Pillay could buy everyone
in the West End Hotel a drink if he liked. Soobrie Pil-
lay could buy the West End Hotel if he liked - because
Soobrie Pillay is a multimillionare.
SIXTY-THREE-year-old Soobrie was born in a mud
hut deep in the slums of Cato Manor. Close to Natal
Universitys Durban campus. His father, Moonsamy,
was a barman at the West End Hotel, and his mother,
Angamma, the hotels curry chef.
To say times were though, back in the middle of the
1930s depression is an understatement. The Pillays
were so poor Soobrie often played truant from school
because he had no trousers to wear.
Moonsamy Pillay died when Soobrie was 13, leaving
Angamma to bring up four hungry children on her
meagre wages. But the struggle was too great, and she
turned to the West End Owners for help, begging them
to give young Soobrie a job so he could contribute to
the familys shrinking food bowl.
So. at 13, Soobrie left school and went to work in the
West Ends scullery at the princely wage of 10 shillings
R11 a month.
The Pillay family lived in a 1 bedroom hovel, surviving
on scraps of food and sleeping under the blankets of
rags. Many a night Soobrie and his younger brothers
and sisters went to bed cold and hungry.
But even such terrible hardships could not snuff the
spark that was within Soobrie Pillay. He worked day
GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS
and night, and so impressed were his employers that
by the time he was 20 he had been promoted to head of
barman the youngest in the country. For an Indian in
those days, just being a barman was a prestigious job.
DOWNTOWN Durban, where the West End is situ-
ated, has not always been the prosperous trading cen-
tre as it is today. It was once the heart of gangland, a
home for muggers, gambling and fah-fee dens, protec-
tion and extortion rackets. It took a brave man to cross
these gangsters, and to survive you had to know how to
look after yourself.
Soobrie was brave. When the thugs came to West End
demanding protection money, he backed up his refusal
to pay with his fists. A keen boxer and weight-lifter, he
was a match for any of them. And after a while, after
enough gangsters had found themselves propelled un-
ceremoniously through the bars batwing doors after
tangling with Soobrie., they gave up offering to pro-
tect him.
In the early 60s Soobrie got his first big business break.
He and a group of friends pooled every cent they had
and built the first ever bottle store and night-club in
Chatsworth, the sprawling Indian suburb outside Dur-
ban.
It was a desperate gamble, that might so easily have left
Soobrie, and his friends penniless once again, but Soo-
brie knew a potential good deal when he saw one. And,
allied to his natural feel for business had spent all his
spare time paring over financial journals, supplement-
ing his rudimentary education.
At last the tides of fortune started to flow Soobries
way. That initial business venture started paying divi-
dends, but instead of taking the money and running,
Soobrie ploughed back into other investments.
He bought property, a hotel and a clothing factory. Be-
fore long Soobrie Pillay, the kid with no pants from the
slums of Cato Manor, was a millionaire.
Now he was able to build his lifes ambition to give his
seven children a good education, something he himself
had never had. Today both his sons are successful busi-
nessmen with the Pillay financial empire.
And all the while, Soobrie Pillay has continued to serve
PAGE 7
drinks at the West End Hotel.
DESPITE the fact that Soobrie can have virtually
anything money can buy, he remains a humble man,
and regards humility as one of a mans greatest quali-
ties. He drives an unostentatious seven-year-old BMW
or a Peugot station-wagon although he does keep a
Porsche 924 in his garage for special occasions. Eve-
rybody even the neighbourhood children call him
plain Soobrie, and he still identifies strongly with the
under-priviledged.
Ive been there and back myself, he says. I havent
forgotten that I was once a have-not and know what its
like to struggle.
When a customer is down-and-out or broke, Ill him a
drink and a meal. Sometimes hell pay me back, some-
times not. I hope I never lose the common touch.
Soobrie is also deeply involved with several charities
something he refuses to discuss.
But the million-dollar question still has to be answered.
Why doesnt Soobrie Pillay retire, and enjoy the fruits
of his labours! Why doesnt he buy some plush beach
villa, and relax? The answer lies in Soobries commit-
ment to the West End Hotel.
The West End gave me my first big break in life, he
says. Without the support of the Drew and Milne fami-
lies who have owned the hotel for the past four gen-
erations I would be nothing.
They gave me a job, they helped my family. When I
started my business deals they never interfered. I owe
them so much, and as long as they want me to stay on
as a barman, I will.
He attributes his incredible financial success to his
deep religious convictions, his belief in himself, and
plain hard work.
It was channelling my energy into work that got me
through the hard times of my childhood, he says.
Being a barman, he says, has taught me more about
life than being a millionaire.
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 10

Aces eat humble pie

We will beat them hands down, said Aces United manager Ajam irony of it all, Mini was first a Cape Spurs man then an Aces player
majid before last weeks match against Glenville. But on Sunday, Aces and is now with Glenville. Minis readiness for the unexpected and his
were made to eat humble pie when after going into a shock 2-0 lead ability to read just where a team-mate was likely to pop up and ram
within ten minutes of the start, they were battered by a determined home a goal gave the Glenville side tremendous thrust. The goal he
Glenville. The Cape Town side came in from the cold to clinch this scored was one of the best seen at Curries.
Mainstay League match by 5 goals to 2.
Aces had the talent to match Glenville. They had the players, men like
You just cant write off soccer thoroughbreds like Glenville. At a most Moosa, Goldstone and Samuels. But they couldnt last the distance.
critical point in the game when all the spectators were anticipating the Nor could Aces bring any new ideas into their game when Glenville
defeat of the Double champions, came the unreal revival. got the equaliser well in the first half. Aces just fell apart at the seams.
They did not have the resources to cope and thats where they lost. By
This glorious Glenville revival brought back memories of their tri- the final whistle, Aces were a badly battered, beaten side.
umphs last season and they go into the K.O. cup match against Cape
Spurs with added confidence. Inspite of Aces two goal lead, Glenville came back into the game in the
first half, when first K. Arendse and then Cliffe Jaggers scored. At half
Even the presence of Smiley Moosa, who leaves soon to join British time both sides were level at one each.
pro.club, could not help a disjointed Aces. Having got into a two goal
lead in the seventh and tenth minute, Aces were content to relax and On resumption, the Cape side began to give the Durban side a run-
see the world go by. about. They cut down Aces mercilessly and goals by Neville Londt (2)
and Stan Mini sealed Aces position at the bottom of the league log.
Aces got both their goals through Royston Samuels, the second being
a penalty for hands.

June Pillay in Aces goal made errors and his anticipation was poor.
That one is tempted to ask what became of the exciting goal keeper,
Yusuf Thebe, who was signed on last week. Then three was the Aces
left back, Basner van der Plank, who was in effectual against Glen-
villes marauding tactics.

As a matter of fact, I was surprised that nothing was done to close that
Yawning gap in Aces defence. Van der Plank was at sixes and sevens
and he found the Glenville right winger, Arthur Hurling, too fast for
him.

Inspite of the poor second half showing of Aces, one must not detract
from the merit of Glenvilles victory. The team faced every situation
with resourcefulness and determination and Neville Londt could not
have had a better bunch to work with.

None was more impressive than inside right, Stan Mini. Heres the

Aces keeper, June Pillay, is all spread-

eagled as he rises in the air to clear from
a goal-mouth melee. (above)

Oops! Ive missed that one, seems to be

expression on the face of the Glenville
keeper in this duel for possession.
 GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS
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GREY STREET CASBAH NEWS PAGE 14