As one of the oldest agricultural industries in the country, which supports the livelihoods of 269 000 employees, generates R55 billion in revenue for the economy and builds a strong brand reputation as a unique asset for the country, the South African wine industry has become part of our cultural and economic fabric.
Much more than the frustration in the market place of wine lovers struggling to get their hands on a bottle wine or than guests visiting the Boland being disappointed because wine tasting at an expensive cellar restaurant is also prohibited, farmers, workers and towns are suffering as a result of a draconic measure prohibiting the sale and transport of wine.
The cannabis trade could dramatically bolster South Africa’s economy if authorities followed global trends and eased the country’s prohibitively regulated industry, according to the Cannabis Trade Association Africa (CTAA).
2021 seems to have jumped in exactly where 2020 left off, with drastically increased COVID-19 infections that will affect workplaces.
Recent research from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PEJDG) shows that food prices rose by 17% over the course of 2020, going up faster than inflation for the year. In December 2020, the total price of a basket of food to feed a family in a month was at R4,002.42, marginally lower than the same basket in November (R4,018.22).
