Heritage Day celebration at Curries Fountain: A call to remember

As South Africa prepares to commemorate Heritage Day, the iconic Curries Fountain stadium in Durban is ready to host a gathering filled with nostalgia and celebration.

From 12pm to 3pm, sports players, supporters, administrators, performers, and activists are invited to come together to reflect on the rich history encapsulated within the stadium’s grounds.

Anand Jayrajh, an executive member of the Curries Fountain Heritage and Preservation Foundation, said they were trying to get as many people as possible to attend the get together.

"We would like to see anyone who had some sort of association with the stadium and still hold Curries Fountain close to their heart.

"We want people to share their memories and experiences at Curries Fountain. We want to create a festive atmosphere. Curries Fountain stadium was not just about soccer, but played host to a number of other sports. It was also the venue for political rallies, school sports, music concerts and union meetings," said Jayrajh.

Last year, the stadium, outside the Durban city centre, marked a significant milestone by celebrating its centenary, a testament to its enduring legacy within the community.

The Foundation is also actively engaging in efforts to preserve this landmark for future generations, having lodged an application in March with the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute, a provincial heritage resources authority, to declare Curries Fountain a protected heritage site.

"We garnered a number of signatures for our petition which we handed with our application. We had a meeting with representatives of Amafa. We are still waiting to hear if they will declare it a heritage site.

"This would be such a momentous thing having it declared a heritage landmark," said Jayrajh.

At the time of publication Amafa had not responded to questions.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE