Johannesburg City Clears Downtown Thrift Hub Dunusa, South Africa Divided

Johannesburg City Clears Downtown Thrift Hub Dunusa, South Africa Divided

  • An area in Johannesburg where people could find second-hand clothes for very cheaply, Dunusa, was a popular spot among residents
  • The thrifting space was located near the MTN taxi rank in Johannesburg and attracted visitors looking for a bargain
  • Most recently, the area got a makeover, and the final result received a range of reactions from the public

Dunusa was a well-known location for buying clothes in Johannesburg without hefty price tags. The place located near the MTN taxi rank was notorious for being dangerous, but many felt it was worth the risk to find secondhand gems.

Johannesburg removes Dunusa
Johannesburg removes Dunusa and cleans up downtown area. Image: Simon Maina
Source: Getty Images

A recent shift in the area transformed the downtown area where vendors used to gather to sell clothes. The latest photos of Dunusa left many people divided.

A post shared on X by @Mpumiln brought attention to the massive cleanup near the MTN taxi rank. Dunusa vanished, never to be seen again, as the city replaced the informal shopping area with newly cultivated trees. The area used to be a shopping hub for second-hand clothing sold by vendors, and people would frequent it to find the items at a fraction of the cost.

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Vendors are no longer in plain sight at Dunusa
Vendors no longer sell clothes in plain sight at Dunusa. Image: Simon Maina
Source: Getty Images

South Africa divided about Dunusa

Some online users saw the positive side of getting rid of Dunusa. Other people were more concerned about defenders who no longer had a place to sell. See the before and after of Dunusa and read X user's comments below:

@__KARISHMAH__ commented:

"It looks so much better . It was so scary to walk here bathong.😭"

@ramanosdaughter wrote:

"Okay, but where do we buy our cool clothes now?😞😭✋🏾"

@Mpumiln said:

"I hear they are not all gone. They’ve moved into shops."

@leoxwayi shared:

"Dunusa traders were still way better with their second-hand brand. Now we must go to Dragon/ China city to buy real fake! What about these selling food on every corner without bar codes/expiry dates?:

@Lisa_Akh added:

"Used to love this spot was introduced to it by a friend BUT for the life of me I wouldn’t dare go there alone 🥹🥹"

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@Mr_V_Jones speculated about the changes:

"How I wish it could stay like this, but we know this is all just electioneering."

@MsaneSmang59867 was happy about the downtown makeover:

"Now we will have safe, clean cities, and they must go and rent shops and be regulated."

@TeboMoa was in disbelief:

"Aaaaah, they really cleared Dunusa? 😂 But sad to see how many SAns survived there. This economy is messed up, guys."

@UpittyAfrican exclaimed:

"I don’t believe this. I'm gonna have to see it for myself today.."

Other Briefly News stories about changes in the city

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Rutendo Masasi avatar

Rutendo Masasi (Weekend Entertainment and Human Interest editor) Rue Masasi is a Human Interest and Entertainment writer at Briefly News who graduated with a BA (Hons) in English from Rhodes University in 2018. Rue also has 3 years of experience in journalism and over four years of experience as an online ESL teacher. She has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her via email: rutendo.masasi@briefly.co.za