Durban - The old picture this week features the Point Road Bus Terminus in what is today Mahatma Gandhi Road. It appeared in the Sunday Tribune on July 28, 1991, with the caption, “The famous Point toilet … a hotel group wants to convert the building into the country’s largest wine bar.”
As photographer Shelley Kjonstad shows today, all the best laid plans never came to fruition, although the empty building is in good condition. It is an ideal development opportunity.
Built in 1914 and situated diagonally opposite the old Point police station and jail at the intersection of Point Road and Southampton Row, it housed ablution facilities and was decorated with a tiled mural depicting Durban harbour which is still there today.
It was the end of Durban’s famed Point route or Route 3 for its trams and trolley buses. The route went down West Street (today Dr Pixley kaSeme) and turned into Point Road at what was known as Point Road Corner. A Route 4 would serve the Point going via Stanger Street (today Stalwart Simelane) and Winder Road.
In holiday season Route 2, the South Beach service, which normally ended in Bell Street where Addington Primary school is situated, would be extended to run down Point Road.
The bus route also helped serve the nearby Bluff ferry.
Local historian Gerald Buttigieg in Facts About Durban remembers the old trolley buses of the time. “Downstairs the seating was a step up from the rear platform where one got onto the bus with the help of a chrome pole, attached to the floor and roof of the boarding platform.
“Going into the bus, one passed two long bench seats facing each other on either side of the passage and further in there were about 4 or 5 rows of double seats facing the driver.
“My mother never liked the bench seats as she felt the passengers opposite would be looking at you. In addition, the bench seats sat only so many comfortably but then at times you would get someone who felt obliged to have a seat and so everyone squashed up to allow the ’pusher in’ in, much to the indignation of the others.
“Along the roof ran two rails with leather strap handles. Standing room was allowed downstairs, if the bus was full. Seated men rose to allow a lady who had just boarded to sit down.
“This necessitated all those standing to allow the lady to access the seat and for the male to grab a handle and stand for the rest of the journey. Offering up seats for ladies was the norm and no way would a school boy not stand up. Most people identified the blazers so your school reputation was on the line.”
The Independent on Saturday