Manelisi grows his organic vegetables in the Cape Town township of Gugulethu. He sells them to residents of smart suburbs nearer Table Mountain during the afternoons, while his children weed his Sauvignon Blanc vineyard after school.
Manelisi Mapukata is the only vinegrower in the townships and is probably the only wine farmer who is entirely without investment capital or borrowing capacity. He went into COVID lockdown in 2020 with a thriving vege trade but came out needing to take a nighttime security guard job to enable his children to go to school.
We are looking forward to the day this changes.
