Matt and I did our midterm project on the emerging wine region of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Last week I was reading the New York Times, and to my surprise I found this article about Stellenbosch, its wine, and its pivotal role in South African politics: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/world/africa/stellenbosch-south-africa.html
It turns out Stellenbosch is an independent region that is dominated by rich white Afrikaners who own the wineries and tend to associate with the far right wing of politics in that country. They have enjoyed a life of good education (Stellenbosch is home to one of South Aftrica's most elite universities), Pinotage, and relative luxury. Until recently. Lately, their countrymen from the Eastern Cape Province, a mostly black and impoverished neighboring district, have migrated to Stellenbosch and begun erecting shanty towns on the winery land in an attempt to claim it for their own. The movement is being led by a man who goes by the name "Madiba" (like Nelson Mandela before him). The settlers have run out of options and land in the region where they came from, but the Afrikaners believe they are invading the territory as a political plot to overwhelm the vote and change the current vote. What makes it more interesting, and controversial, is that much of the land was granted to the Afikaners in long term leases by their pro-apartheid prime minister days before Mandela worked the deal to end apartheid. Furthermore, much of that land is actually publicly owned, but is on 50 or 100 year leases to the winery owners. This leads the settlers to believe they have a right to the land as it was granted improperly and should be available for public needs, but the government has been hesitant to be seen instituting land grabs, leaving the situation at a painful standstill.
As it stands, the environment is very tense, with the squatters unwilling to move, and at times becoming violent. The man they called Madiba spent six weeks in jail over an incident in which protesters threw bricks at the municipal building. The Afrikaners are considering selling parts of their land where the shanty towns have sprung up to avoid further violence, but there does not seem to be a resolution yet. Overall, this is a much more nuanced and updated view of the political situation surrounding Stellenbosch than our midterm research or presentation discussed, and provides an important consideration before any tourist makes Stellenbosch their next wine destination.
It turns out Stellenbosch is an independent region that is dominated by rich white Afrikaners who own the wineries and tend to associate with the far right wing of politics in that country. They have enjoyed a life of good education (Stellenbosch is home to one of South Aftrica's most elite universities), Pinotage, and relative luxury. Until recently. Lately, their countrymen from the Eastern Cape Province, a mostly black and impoverished neighboring district, have migrated to Stellenbosch and begun erecting shanty towns on the winery land in an attempt to claim it for their own. The movement is being led by a man who goes by the name "Madiba" (like Nelson Mandela before him). The settlers have run out of options and land in the region where they came from, but the Afrikaners believe they are invading the territory as a political plot to overwhelm the vote and change the current vote. What makes it more interesting, and controversial, is that much of the land was granted to the Afikaners in long term leases by their pro-apartheid prime minister days before Mandela worked the deal to end apartheid. Furthermore, much of that land is actually publicly owned, but is on 50 or 100 year leases to the winery owners. This leads the settlers to believe they have a right to the land as it was granted improperly and should be available for public needs, but the government has been hesitant to be seen instituting land grabs, leaving the situation at a painful standstill.
As it stands, the environment is very tense, with the squatters unwilling to move, and at times becoming violent. The man they called Madiba spent six weeks in jail over an incident in which protesters threw bricks at the municipal building. The Afrikaners are considering selling parts of their land where the shanty towns have sprung up to avoid further violence, but there does not seem to be a resolution yet. Overall, this is a much more nuanced and updated view of the political situation surrounding Stellenbosch than our midterm research or presentation discussed, and provides an important consideration before any tourist makes Stellenbosch their next wine destination.
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