Blacks in the Wine Industry

Paul Siguqa, owner of Klein Goederust wine estate in Franschhoek, holds a glass of wine as he poses for a portrait at the entrance of his winery on October 14, 2022 in Franschhoek. (Photo by

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)

Black now P

By AFP W

Winemaking was a profession most South African parents could never have envisioned for their children. But black South Africans are today managing to break through multiple barriers into the renowned industry, transforming a landscape that is historically white.

Paul Siguqa, 41, bought Klein Goederust farm (Afrikaans for “a little good rest”) after saving up for 15 years.

His mother had, for 37 years, worked at a farm in South Africa’s Cape winelands under the white minority apartheid regime.

“If you grow up on a farm as children of farm labourers – black farm labourers – you are raised to be the next crop of labour for that farmer,” said Siguqa.

He fi nally purchased the “rundown” farm in 2019, renovated it and opened last year.

“If we want to see change in an industry, we need to be the change,” he said, after inspecting his fl owering grape crop at the farm in Franschhoek, a region dotted with centuries-old vineyards.

As a result, an industry push is underway to try to accelerate the pace of change.

“Nobody’s getting nowhere slowly,” said Wendy Petersen, manager at SA Wine Industry Transformation Unit, which organises grants and internships for startups.

Often, the resources are not enough and have to be spread thinly among the candidates.

To help them grow, the organisation has launched the Wine Arc tasting room in South Africa’s wineproducing hub, Stellenbosch, to promote budding producers.

Among the brands featured there is Carmen