Inside The Pantry: South Africa's Nightlife And Diversity Collide

Johannesburg, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Mar, 2025) From insomniacs to party-goers, doting couples, tired paramedics and Johannesburg's golden youth, The Pantry, a petrol station doubling as a gourmet deli, has become unmissable on the nightlife scene of South Africa's biggest city.

Open 24 hours a day, the establishment which opened three years ago is a haven for revellers looking for a midnight snack to sober up after the bars and nightclubs close at 2:00 or 5:00 am.

"Believe me, we see it all here," sighs a cashier.

Before the curtains open on Johannesburg's infamous party scene, the evening gets off to a gentle start.

On a Friday at around 6:00 pm, families with children flock to the Italian ice cream counter or near the pizza oven. Black, white and Asian, speaking isiZulu, Afrikaans, English or another of South Africa's 12 official languages, the country's diversity is mirrored at the dining tables.

Toddling around in twinkling rain boots and wrapped up in his dinosaur pyjamas, 18-months old Akani is thrilled.

"We come here every Friday," smiles his dad, Tony, 33. "He loves the activity and the people watching, seeing so many different people.

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Three young queer friends, one of them wearing a pink wig and high-heeled sandals, share coffees and a modest tray of fries.

"This is a good fun place for late nights, it's always open," comments Thembiso, a 19-year-old student in a pearl necklace, before a spontaneous photoshoot in the car park, amid the smell of fuel and exhaust fumes.

On the bonnet of a sports car, more modest in their plain shirts and chino trousers, a group of young men are playing cards next to the petrol pumps. They are Muslim, explains a security guard who recognises the regulars, and as such avoid night spots that serve alcohol.

Inside the deli, sparkling wines, chocolates and flower bouquets for 300 rands ($16) -- a small fortune in one of the world's most unequal countries -- share the shelves with the usual petrol station goods: cigarettes, condoms and cool drinks.

As the buzzing workday gives way to a lively Friday night, the diner clientele is slowly replaced by dressed up women with super-long eyelashes, in transparent lace dresses, thigh-high boots, tight latex trousers or cropped tops, browsing the aisles before going out.