Marché des herbes médicinales
et aromatiques de Johannesbourg

Voici un texte en anglais sur le marché des herbes médicinales et aromatiques de Johannesbourg. Ce texte a été préparé par Vivienne Williams, la jeune femme qui aide les cueilleurs et les marchands à s'organiser.

History of the Trade in Traditional Medicine on the Witwatersrand

Johannesburg's link with the trade in traditional medicine begins with the discovery of gold in 1886. The need for cheap labour on the gold mines was a trigger for early African urbanisation and led to the entrenchment of the migrant labour system. The ensuing rural-urban oscillation of people from around the country enhanced the introduction of traditional activities related to Black 'rural' culture in the late 1890s. Activities such as craftwork, beer making and traditional herbalism were introduced and incorporated into the developing urban mine culture to meet the needs of both the Black migrant labourers and the expanding, permanent urban population for traditional products and services. Most of the early herbalists and muthi shop owners established their practices near the migrant labour force in the mines and mine hostels.

When the Witwatersrand began to develop, many Indians (mainly Tamil-speaking Hindus who had worked closely with the Zulus in the sugar cane plantations in the early 1900s) headed to Johannesburg and found that they could fill a niche in the emerging demand for herbal medicine since they were familiar with Zulu customs and traditional practices. Because Black people were prevented from operating in 'white areas' or the central business district during the apartheid era, the Indian and White traders established herbal pharmacies or 'umuthi' shops in an increasingly formalizing trade. The traders used their knowledge of Zulu traditional medicines, which they continued to develop, and employed black staff to work in the shops (usually Zulu traditional healers). The result was the co-existence of umuthi shops (White- or Indian-owned) trading medicines primarily in the Zulu vernacular, and Black herbalists (of various language groups) who practised predominantly in the township areas, until deregulation of apartheid legislation occurred after the May 1994 elections.

Role-Players in the Traditional Medicine Trade in the Region

Traders in the traditional medicine market are differentiated into two sectors, namely :
formal businesses, and
informal markets.

The formal sector is represented by herb-traders, including traditional healers, trading from premises called umuthi shops (herbal chemists). Commercial gatherers/harvesters and traders selling plants from pavements and open-air markets, on the other hand, represent the informal sector - for example, the Faraday Street market. 45% of the informal traders are traditional healers (either Inyangas or Sangomas); 55% of the traders are not traditional healers, and are mainly women from impoverished rural areas.

The Witwatersrand is South Africa's second largest market for medicinal plants after the markets in KwaZulu-Natal, and the ethnic diversity of the region's traders, healers and gatherers is influential in determining the floristic diversity and sources of the plants in trade.

History of the Faraday Street Market

The Faraday Street medicinal market was established approximately 25 years ago as a 'Fridays only market' adjacent to the Faraday Street train station, bus terminus and taxi rank. The market apparently came into existence after people (mainly Basotho harvesters) were forced to leave the Mai Mai Bazaar. Fifteen years ago, the traders began selling at the market every day and convened a committee to represent the vendors. The current chairman, Mr Solomon Mvubu, has held this office for 15 years.

In 1995 there were approximately 120 sidewalk stalls. There are currently at least 170 stalls with street traders selling plants every day of the week. In addition, there are a group of about 15-20 traders who sell plants on a Friday morning or at month end. This group of 'Friday traders' are mainly Sesotho speaking women from areas south-west of Johannesburg, whereas the main body of street traders are primarily Zulu speaking from KwaZulu-Natal, 'traditionalist', averse to 'politics', and subsist under very hard circumstances. According to the chairman of the market, there are at least 249 members of the traders association in Faraday.

In 1996/97 the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council provided the street traders with 41 large steel lockers (6m x 1.2m) that were divisible into 82 lockable units. Four consulting rooms were also constructed. The provision of the steel lockers resulted in a more permanent and less transient structure to the market. However, growth in the market in recent years has resulted in more street traders than available lockers, and the 'non-locker' street traders occupy the pavement islands of the bus terminus. Some traders live inside the lockers.

Function of the Faraday Market to Traditional Healing in the Region

The market has mainly a wholesale function, acting as a source of supply for many thousands of traditional healers resident within Gauteng townships and suburbs, and the umuthi shops distributed throughout the Witwatersrand. There are estimated to be at least 18,000 traditional healers in Soweto, and the healers buy plants from Faraday to restock their practises instead of personally harvesting the plant material.

While 45% of the traders in the market are traditional healers supplementing their trading incomes through consultations with patients, the prescriptive nature of the market is generally limited to commuters passing through.

Customer Profiles
Primarily traditional healers (76%), Zulu (61%), male (66%) and self-employed (71%)
The traders ranked their customers, in terms of the frequency with which they buy plants at market, the following way :
1. Traditional healers
2. Muti shops / retailers
3. Non-patients / commuters passing through the market
4. Patients seeking treatment from traditional healers in the market

Socio-Economic and Residential Profiles of the Faraday Traders

1. Demographics The traders are primarily :
Zulu (96%)
Female (70%)
Single and/or widowed (64%)
Non-traditional healers (56%)

2. Residential
Majority of traders (97%) are 'migrant' to Gauteng - i.e. Gauteng is not 'home', and traders live in Johannesburg while trading
Most KZN traders are from the Maputaland and Zululand area, which is consistent with the cited sources of supply for the plants that are sold in the market, thereby suggesting that traders collect plants from familiar 'home' localities.
73% of traders live in accommodation within a 7km radius of Faraday - mainly in flats, shacks or hostels

Income and Expenditure
93% of traders are from single income families
64% of these are women
The model monthly expenditure indicates that most of the traders' income is spent on food and accommodation.
Most traders cited an income of less than R100 per week. These figures correlate with cited expenditure only if plant purchase costs are not included. Therefore, the median weekly income for most traders is expected to be in the region of R150 to R250.
Traditional healers earn more per month than non-healers do by their consultations with patients and their greater plant knowledge.
For many traders, income ˜ expenditure, with very little accumulation of savings.

Factors Motivating the Participation of People in this "Hidden Economy"

Selling medicinal plants is not the occupation of choice for many traders. However, lack of a broader education and skills, the failure of the rural economy in many areas and competition for jobs has retarded the opportunities for employment - especially among already disadvantaged women. Ninety-five percent of Faraday's traders are the breadwinners in single-income households, a trend exacerbated by previous political unrest in KZN leaving many of the female traders as widows. Only 25% of the traders have attended school beyond the 8th grade (i.e. high school).

Annual Value of the Market, and the Volume Traded

The Faraday Street market is a significant trade and distribution node for tonnes of medicinal plants destined for consumption by thousands of multi-ethnic urban consumers on the Witwatersrand. The annual trade is estimated to be 450 - 800 tonnes, valued at around R4.4 million in retail sales. Additionally, the trade is a subsistence level income-generating opportunity for thousands of mainly rural, indigent people from KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Lesotho and certain areas of Gauteng and the Free State. Most traders earn less than R200 week before living expenses and plant purchase costs.

From the Field to Faraday : Harvest and Delivery of Plants to the Market

Faraday is supplied with wild-collected plants harvested by commercial gatherers in communal, public and private land. The volumes harvested and the destructiveness of the activity is threatening biodiversity and the perpetuation of plant populations. Some species have become extinct in certain areas, or near enough, and others are severely threatened by this activity.

Most plants are gathered in KwaZulu-Natal. Once harvested, they reach the market primarily by buses that arrive in Faraday every Friday and Monday. Most traders in the market do not harvest the plants they sell, instead they buy from the commercial gatherers that arrive in the market.

Species in Trade
More than 450 species in trade, primarily by the Zulu vernacular name
There are at least 9 exotic species sold, the most popular of which is Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor tree)
The presence of lockers determines the amount of storage space available and the predominant longevity of the plant parts they sell - non-locker traders tend to sell more perishable plants like bulbs and tubers that have a shorter shelf life and are processed more.

Consideration for Resource Management

Poverty and under-development in rural areas often compels people to disregard resource management practises and to exploit natural resources for livelihood support;
Conservation efforts often cannot succeed if the economy is not able to satisfy the basic desires and aspirations of the great majority of the population;
Part of the challenge is to find ways of fostering economic growth and poverty alleviation without causing significant environmental damage
Most traders in Faraday have had limited education and access to jobs and they are mainly from single income families
In addition, most come from very poor regions of KZN where low living standards are exacerbated by lack of education and skills, inadequate access to primary health care and AIDS, which is eroding rural populations
Any management practise will have resultant costs and benefits to both the environment and the people utilising and/or harvesting the resources. The challenge is to find solutions with equitable benefits and minimal costs to both the environment and the resource users
Resource management involves conservation, cultivation and commercialisation initiatives (3C's).

Source of Information for the Display

This display was compiled from the results of a survey conducted by Vivienne Williams (University of the Witwatersrand) on behalf for the Gauteng Department for Agriculture, Conservation, Environment & Land Affairs (DACEL). V.Williams is currently completing a PhD examining the trade and conservation of medicinal plant resources sold on the Witwatersrand.

Contact :
details for Vivienne : Cell. 082 965 1862
Email. vivwill@planetac.co.za