Eid shoppers hustle and bustle in Johannesburg markets

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

 Business is booming for traders in Johannesburg, as shoppers rush to buy items for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr this Friday.

"Our sales have increased tremendously since Saturday when shoppers started coming in to buy clothes for Eid," Mustafa Ali, a shop assistant at a clothing store in the predominantly Muslim suburb of Fordsburg, told Anadolu Agency.

He said shops in the area were operating until late at night to allow shoppers the opportunity to buy the things they needed for the three-day Eid celebrations.

"Some of our customers leave their offices late in the evening and rush home to bring their families to shop with them. So we have to accommodate them," Ali said.

He said for the past few days, they have been breaking their fast inside their shops, because of the high volume of shoppers flocking to buy clothing, shoes and other items.

Another trader in the area, Ahmed Abu Hassan, agreed that business has been booming as Eid draws closer.

"As you can see for yourself, there are many people buying items inside the shop. Praise be to God, business is good," he said as he adjusted some hijabs in his al-Hidayaa fashion shop.

He said most of the items in his store where sourced from the latest fashion designers of Muslim clothing in the Middle East and Asia.

Some shoppers claimed, however, that traders were over charging them for designer items compared to last year’s Eid.

"Some of the prices of the designer clothes have increased, but I have no choice but to buy for my daughters and myself," one shopper told Anadolu Agency.

But most of the traders deny driving up prices because of Eid, instead blaming the price hikes on the high dollar exchange rate which has affected South Africa’s currency.

Halal products

Shoppers from different parts of the city are also crowding local butcheries and bakers selling halal products that comply with Islamic dietary requirements.

"I live in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg; there are no halal butcheries there. So I have to come here and stock up on meat for Eid," Zainab Mohammed told Anadolu Agency inside a butcher shop in Mayfair, another predominantly Muslim suburb in Johannesburg. 

South African Muslims account for roughly 2.5 percent of the country's 50 million population.

The majority of them are wealthy and engage actively in various sectors of the economy.

Most of the shoppers to whom Anadolu Agency spoke to said they had chosen to shop in the five days before Eid because they want to avoid the stress of panic buying and running late.

"Shopping late gives you cheap deals, but only after all the good stuff has been taken," one elderly shopper said.