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https://theconversation.com/fairtrade-study-finds-premium-label-does-not-always-benefit-workers-on-south-african-wine-farms-201680>
"Wine was first produced in South Africa as far back as the mid-1600s by Dutch
colonisers who sold it to passing ships. The industry developed further during
the colonial and apartheid eras and wine became an important part of the South
African economy.
A recent study reports that the industry now employs close to 300,000 people. A
2021 report indicates that it generates R10 billion (more than US$550 million)
in export value annually. While wine does not rank as one of South Africa’s
biggest industries, it contributes 1.1% to South Africa’s GDP and 1.6% of the
country’s total employment, making it significant to the economy.
During the colonial and apartheid eras, the country’s wine industry was
characterised by the use of enslaved workers and the exploitation and
paternalistic control of black and coloured labourers by white farmers. The
black and coloured labourers lived and worked on the farms under the control of
the white farmers.
With the formal end of apartheid in 1994, such relations were expected to
change. New labour laws to protect workers from exploitation were introduced.
However, many observers continued to have concerns about the living and working
conditions of workers on the wine farms."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
