Groot Constantia, South Africa’s oldest wine estate established in 1685, has become an unusual case in the regional wine industry by openly acknowledging its historical dependence on enslaved labor. The farm, which held approximately 30 enslaved people at any given time until slavery’s abolition in 1834, now operates a museum run by state body Iziko Museums that documents the lives and contributions of enslaved individuals brought from Mozambique, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The estate’s current leadership has expressed commitment to building on this historical foundation responsibly, though historians note that only a handful of wine farms in the region have made similar efforts to confront this aspect of their past.
The South African wine industry, which generated R36.3bn in sales last year, was historically built substantially on enslaved labor. Research indicates that by the 19th century, the 21 most prominent wine families collectively enslaved over 3,500 people, with enslavement comprising roughly 80% of the coerced workforce by the 1820s. Despite this widespread reliance on slavery, most historic wine estates have avoided explicitly acknowledging or memorializing this history. Industry observers cite reluctance to address culpability and concerns about legacy as primary reasons for this widespread silence.
Despite its historical acknowledgment efforts, Groot Constantia faces ongoing criticism from labor organizations and workers’ rights groups. At least 10 families, predominantly descendants of former workers, have been evicted from the farm since July according to advocacy groups. Critics argue that acknowledging historical slavery while maintaining present-day labor practices that they view as exploitative represents an incomplete reckoning with the industry’s past.
Other estates have attempted more comprehensive approaches to historical redress. Solms-Delta, established in 1690, helped workers establish a trust and purchase neighboring land in 2005, and previously employed a historian to document the estate’s past and preserve workers’ cultural traditions. However, this farm’s operations have faced significant challenges, entering business rescue after government involvement in 2016 did not deliver promised financial support. Industry leadership has increasingly acknowledged that slavery’s legacy continues to shape contemporary inequalities in the wine sector.
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