Pretoria – The mass exodus from the capital has began and is expected to rise on Wednesday night and into the weekend as thousands head to their ancestral homes to spend the festive season with their families.
And on Wednesday, beds, fridges, window and door frames, car engines and sofas could be seen strapped on trailers at the busy Bosman Station. The luggage was scattered everywhere as people waited for transport.
Pretoria and other metropolitan areas around the country shut down after December 16 every year after migrant workers go home, while other residents go on holiday.
Traffic volumes are also expected to increase on all major roads. The N1, N4 and N3 are expected to be congested. For those who remain in the city, popular spots remain Fountains Valley, Bundu Inn and Rietvlei Nature Reserve, among others.
Thulani Mphele, a Tshwane University of Technology student who was at Bosman waiting for a taxi, said he survived a difficult year and was looking forward to shutting down and spending time with family.
“It’s been a hectic year and all I want is to see myself getting off the taxi and seeing my family. I haven’t seen familiar faces in a long time and there is no better time than now during the holiday season.
“This time of the year everything comes to a halt and we all go home. The long drive home to Newcastle is nothing. I want to go home and see my parents after the whole year here in the city,” said Mphele.
Keletso Aphane said going home was the only thing to look forward to come the festive season. “I travelled from Cape Town to Pretoria to see family here. I now have to make my way to Limpopo to spend the rest of my holidays there.
“There really is no reason to stay here because the company I work for has closed for the holidays,” she said.
But not everyone is leaving. Informal trader Palesa Motsunyane said she was still in the city trying to make some extra money before going home.
Motsunyane said she had already sent her two children aged 8 and 12 home to Free State and would join them later.
“When you go home you try to get a little bit extra money just to show what you had been working towards for the whole year. There is no way I’m staying here alone when spending the festive season with family is all everyone is talking about.”
Tshwane MMC for Economic Development Randall Williams said the exodus was a culture that had been taking place for decades.
“Just as people migrate inland for economic purposes, when South Africa shuts down for the festive season, they migrate to the coastal areas from December 16 until the first week of January,” he said.
“At the end of the day there is still a lot of economic activity that takes place in the city, just not at the same pace as it would be during the course of the year. Even informal traders leave to go home during this time, but the city is working on plans to bring people into the CBD.”
Chairman of the Tshwane Community Business Forum Margaret Machaba said although more people moved out of the city for the holidays, business was usually brisk during the last two to three weeks leading up to Christmas.
“More people have bonuses and additional money to spend and after Christmas and New Year’s Day there’s usually a slump."