“In the early 60s ‘café-de-move-ons’ could be seen wherever there were substantial numbers of African workers or passers by in need of refreshment.”
Since apartheid, South Africa witnessed the phenomenon of rapid urbanization. Thousands of workers move daily from the township’s into the cities for their livelihood. This has given rise to the re-birth of the trade in refreshments, loose cigarettes, sweets and chips along pedestrian routes. However, vendors are frequently arrested in police raids and fined or imprisoned. The spaza-de-move-on is a design response to the need for an efficient, easily transportable solution for these vendors.
“In the early 60s ‘café-de-move-ons’ could be seen wherever there were substantial numbers of African workers or passers by in need of refreshment.”
Dala, zulu verb for creation , whom ArchiAfrika wrote a report on last year (please find report ‘In Search of Building 'Healthy' Cities which Connect with Daily Human Functions’ at http://www.archiafrika.org/en/node/246) concerns itself with an ongoing pursuit for innovative approaches for creating more humane and livable cities.
Architect Doung Anwar Jahangeer, one part of the organisation Dala , has been awarded the Ndaba "Its South Thing" Design Prize & R100 000 South African Rands prize money for his design Spaza-De-Move-On, a fold-up shop on wheels, conceived to give street hawkers convenience and dignity.
Since apartheid, South Africa witnessed the phenomenon of rapid urbanization. Thousands of workers move daily from the township’s into the cities for their livelihood. This has given rise to the re-birth of the trade in refreshments, loose cigarettes, sweets and chips along pedestrian routes. However, vendors are frequently arrested in police raids and fined or imprisoned.
The spaza-de-move-on is a design response to the need for an efficient, easily transportable solution for these vendors. Its evolution, involved bottom-up collaboration with Moses Gwiba – a street vendor – with whom Doung formed a relationship over a number of years of walking in the city of Durban.
