From just over 20 000 residents in Grahamstown’s city centre over the December holidays, to 26 000 in February when the students arrive, to over 70 000 during the National Arts Festival period. This is the degree to which the town’s population fluctuates throughout the year.
From just over 20 000 residents in Grahamstown’s city centre over the December holidays, to 26 000 in February when the students arrive, to over 70 000 during the National Arts Festival period. This is the degree to which the town’s population fluctuates throughout the year.
The population explosion that occurs during these times often sees residents having to alter their shopping times and fight for parking.
February alone sees the arrival of over 6 000 students who flock to Grahamstown for the start of the new academic year.
The once quiet streets of Grahamstown buzz with students with Eastern Cape number plates becoming
increasingly difficult to spot.
The university itself uses nearly double the amount of electricity in the month of March than in January, consuming 1 120 100 units of electricity as opposed to 542 800.
During the National Arts Festival, when the university offers accommodation at residences to festival goers, consumption goes up to 1 333 200 units during that period.
Pick n Pay at Pepper Grove Mall is the only supermarket of its kind in Grahamstown, and its central location to both the university and the suburbs makes it a favourite with both students and locals.
Johan Pienaar, who oversees the ordering of stock at the store, says that he has to make drastic adjustments depending on the time of the year.
“About halfway through November we halve our stock. We then increase it on 15 December for the Christmas rush, but then it decreases again until the students come back.”
Then in order to compensate for the number of students who arrive in February, Pick n Pay doubles the amount of stock that they order in December and January.
Even though holiday makers in Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea make the occasional trip to Grahamstown to do their grocery shopping when their vast numbers have depleted the stock at their own supermarkets, they don’t make such a dent that Pienaar notices.
A regular shopper at Pick n Pay, Piet Odendaal, does all his grocery shopping in the mornings to avoid the student rush in the afternoons and early evenings.
Although he complains about the parking in Pepper Grove Mall and down High Street during term time
and over the Festival, he says that he has never found the shops to be understocked.
However, Rhodes student Roberta Arnold complains that she can never find chicken breasts. “I often go there on a Sunday evening to get ingredients for supper.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s Sunday but they never have chicken breasts.” This can be extremely frustrating when one’s staple diet consists of pasta with a sauce made with chicken.
In the townships the 97 000 residents find the town busiest over the Festival period and over Christmas, when families come from all over to participate in the celebrations.
Thobani Gamfu, a regular shopper at Shoprite in Market Square says that the centre is at its busiest over the last half of December until after the New Year. Yet the stores manage to be kept well stocked, and Shoprite never runs out of food stuffs over this busy period.
Vuyi Seka, who works at the general dealer Pak Store in Beaufort Street says that their busiest time is during the National Arts Festival.
“We have to buy extra stock for the store when it’s Festival time and also over the Christmas period.” Street vendors look forward to the Festival period where they take their stalls further into town.
Local residents may complain, and although it puts a strain on the city’s resources, the constant population flux keeps businesses on their toes.
The constant coming and going of people from all over the country not only brings with it good financial opportunities, but ultimately forms a large part of Grahamstown’s unique character.
