Ein neues Buch von Dr. Tanya Zack beleuchtet, wie äthiopische Migranten den Jeppe-Bereich im Stadtzentrum von Johannesburg zu einem florierenden grenzüberschreitenden Handelszentrum umgestaltet haben. Von Beamten als Chaos Precinct bezeichnet, erzeugt dieses informelle Ökosystem jährliche Einnahmen, die doppelt so hoch sind wie die von Sandton City. Der Bereich dient als wichtiger Umschlagplatz für Fast Fashion und Konsumgüter aus China, die in ganz Südliches Afrika verteilt werden.
Dr. Tanya Zacks Buch, The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a Port City, untersucht die Verwandlung von Jeppe im zentralen Geschäftsviertel Johannesburgs. Konzentriert um die Lilian-Ngoyi- und Rahima-Moosa-Straßen, fungiert der Bereich als dichtes, von Äthiopiern geführtes Handelsnetzwerk, das von Einheimischen oft Little Addis genannt wird, obwohl Zack bemerkt, dass es keinen exotischen Charme hat. Kommunale Beamte nennen es informell Chaos Precinct, während Händler es einfach als Jeppe kennen. Ethiopian immigrants operate thousands of small, informal businesses in repurposed office and medical buildings, including sites like Marble Towers, owned by Baba Ahmadou Danpullo, and the abandoned Kwadukuza Egoli Hotel Tower, formerly the Johannesburg Sun. These traders specialize in fast fashion and consumer goods such as clothes, shoes, household items, and cosmetics, imported from China. The goods are then sold to cross-border buyers from countries including Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, and Mozambique, creating a transnational port-like hub. A walk through the area reveals crowded streets, alleyways, and arcades like Small Street Mall, the old Jeppe Street Post Office, and Main Street Mall, filled with tiny shops displaying an array of products from jeans to perfumes. Shoppers, arriving by bus and taxi, spend R10-billion annually here. Traders face challenges like crime, police harassment, and restrictive by-laws, with instances of hastily closing shops ahead of rumoured raids. Zack, who spent 15 years researching the area, describes it as a dynamic hub fostering entrepreneurship. 'Jeppe is a dynamic, exuberant hub that fosters entrepreneurship,' she writes. 'Fortunes are made, loved ones back home are supported and commodities – particularly fast fashion – flow across southern Africa.' The book challenges narratives of inner-city decline, emphasizing resilience amid police brutality and migration risks, and includes stories from Ethiopia about facilitating these journeys. Published by Jacana Media for R420, the work draws on conversations with traders, officials, and academics to reframe understandings of informal commerce in African cities.