From India to Durban: the South African story of the samoosa
From Indian migration and Cape food traditions to Durban’s distinctive fillings, the samoosa’s South African history is a story of movement, adaptation and belonging.
A South African tourist, Jeandre, faced a 3-hour ordeal trying to settle a 500 baht parking fine and have a clamp removed from his car in Pattaya. The 28-year-old and his girlfriend had parked their vehicle along Pattaya Beach Road in the evening, only to return at 1:10am and find their tire clamped. An A4 notice was left on the car, but Jeandre struggled to understand the Thai instructions.
The couple took the notice to the Pattaya City Police Station, where they were informed about the parking controls and directed to pay the fine and arrange for the clamp's removal at Pattaya City Hall. Despite taking motorcycle taxis there thrice, they could not locate the payment point. Eventually, they returned to the police station and sought assistance from a local reporter, who called the designated numbers for the responsible officers, but the calls went unanswered.
The reporter visited Pattaya City Hall, but no staff were present in the administrative office where fines were processed. Calls to the radio communications center also went unanswered. Municipal enforcement officers patrolling elsewhere in Pattaya were eventually informed of the couple's situation and connected them to a staff member who resolved the issue, enabling Jeandre to pay the fine and have the clamp removed.
The administrative employee responsible for fine collection had left the office to address another incident. Pattaya City acknowledged insufficient night-shift staffing, which could lead to temporary unattended fine-payment offices, and is taking steps to increase overnight staff.
Written by urgent.news from The Thaiger's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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