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A little bit of background:
Tucked away along a pedestrian lane and nestled between the Standard Bank and the Golden Acre Mall, lies one of Cape Town’s oldest and most iconic markets. Called the Trafalgar Place Flower market, it is most commonly known as the Adderley Street Flower market to locals. If you have had the pleasure of coming across this gem, you’ll soon realise that you are no longer in a busy street, but rather in a floral treasure trove; a place rich with culture and history.
The women and men who work here often stem from a long line of floral merchants who have passed on their knowledge to the generation of flower sellers below them. Some of the sellers in today’s market are fourth generation. They have called themselves “Blomdraers” – or ‘flower carriers’. But its not just flowers that they carry; the Blomdraers are also the carriers of knowledge in the flower business and each of them has their own story, history and heritage.
If you visit the market monthly, you’ll notice that the sellers have shifted. They have devised a rotational system where each flower stall gets a two month slot at what most call ‘the front row’ where they have access to the most foot traffic and a better chance of selling their blooming goods. The market is open 24/7 and during the evenings the front row stalls stay open for people passing by in case anyone wants to purchase a bunch of flowers on their way home from work.
And as it is Spring…
This Spring, do yourself a favour and go and visit these women. Tell them you read their stories, you saw their flowers and the arrangements that Jackie painted. You’ll leave with so much more than a bunch of flowers.
Glenda’s Flowers
Gouache on Paper
55 x 41cm
R10 300
Diela’s Flowers
Gouache on Paper
48 x 38cm
R10 100 sold
Gairo’s Flowers
Gouache on Paper
48 x 38cm
R7 100
Murky’s Flowers
Gouache on Paper
36 x 39cm
R6 800
Glenda started at the market from a very young age, helping out with her mother in the afternoons after school. At the age of 17 she started working full-time. She has worked at an elastic factory in Steenberg in the past, but her true calling was the flower market. Glenda works together with Daniel, the father of her two children aged 41 and 34. She has been at the market for 50 years. Her mom, aunts, uncle and grandfather have all worked at the market.
“…Its almost like a passion and you feel like being here because it’s like a job, a hobby and it all comes together for you…”
Both of Diela’s grannies used to work at the market and she is Shafieka’s sister-in-law.
She started coming to the market with her mother, Amina from a very young age but only started working full-time at the age of 15. Diela is a mother of seven and hopes her younger daughter who is 36 will take over from her, as she feels she’s got the right attitude and loves to talk.
“We are all cousins, brothers and sisters, but we sometimes fight like cats and dogs because of the competition”
She tells me: “I was born in a banana box, raised on the market and I am still here at the market. We know who the pick-pocketers are and we protect ourselves and our customers. The market is crime-free because of us flower sellers. We know their faces and we attack them sommer. As women we are never dependent on anyone else. Even if we hit them with a protea or throw them with a bucket of flower water…”
In another story relayed to Veldman, Diela’s fierce attitude results in the changing of parliament:
“They wanted to close off Adderley street for the opening of parliament on Valentine’s Day which is our best-selling day of the year. I had to stop this. The men from that came to us from parliament looked like the men in the movie ‘Men in Black’. There were six guys and one in the front that were looking for me and I thought they were clients. But they were from the parliament and they gave me the letter. I was making skandaal, everyday I was fighting for them to change the day.”
Diela’s determination paid off; she managed to get the date of the opening of parliament moved so the flower sellers could trade on their busiest day.
You can contact Diela on 0725593414
Gairo started helping her Aunt (also named Gairo) at the market when she was fourteen years old. This early exposure laid the foundation for her involvement in the market. At the age of seventeen, Gairo became a single parent but continued to work at the market full-time. A significant aspect of Gairo’s story is her father, Abu Baker, affectionately known as ‘Bubi’. Their collaboration has spanned over four decades, reflecting a deep-rooted connection to the market and the trade. Despite facing personal set-backs that led to a two-year break from the market, Gairo’s perseverance shines through. “I am no quitter and I am my own boss, I am The Boss,” she tells me with the biggest smile on her face. “There can be some competition between the flower sellers but at the end of the day we stand together and support one another.”
She is very proud of her youngest daughter who will be completing her law degree next year.
For her bouquet, Gairo chose an ‘indigenous’ bouquet that consisted of strelitzias and various proteas.
You can contact Gairo on 0780201764
Murky, a second-generation flower seller with over 50 years of experience, reminisces about her upbringing in the flower trade. Her mother, despite financial struggles, came from a large family and instilled in her, a love for flowers and a spirit of generosity. She remembers as a child gathering flowers from the mountains to sell, often extending acts of kindness to homeless children they encountered on the streets of Cape Town. Murky’s own focus shifted to educating her children while still embracing her passion for flowers.
Despite the challenges, Murky finds joy in connecting with people through her flowers, offering support and prayers to those in need. She cherishes the beauty of every flower, especially those she grows herself, seeing them as gifts from God. For her, selling flowers is more than a business—it’s a way to serve others and spread happiness and healing.
She tell me: “I’m grateful to be able to sell and be amongst these flowers. I can’t explain it to you but it’s like a piece of heaven for me, just to be here, because this is one of God’s blessings that he gave to us. He created what we can’t, and it touches your heart – this is what these flowers do.”
