The Small SA Town Where Residents Earn R19k a Month

• Clanwilliam in the Western Cape is known as the Rooibos Capital of the world, exporting the tea to over 60 countries
• The Rooibos industry generates more than R900 million in export value and supports around 8,000 jobs across South Africa
• The industry holds a Protected Designation of Origin from the EU, putting Rooibos in the same league as Champagne

Tucked into the Olifants River Valley about 200 kilometres north of Cape Town, the small town of Clanwilliam punches well above its weight. Home to just over 5,400 registered taxpayers earning an average of around R19,100 a month, it sits at the heart of a global tea industry worth more than R900 million in exports each year.

Clanwilliam is widely regarded as the Rooibos Capital of the world. The surrounding Cederberg region is the only place on Earth where the plant grows naturally, making the area the undisputed centre of a trade that reaches more than 60 countries.

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South Africa produces between 20,000 and 22,600 tonnes of Rooibos annually. The farm-gate value, what farmers receive before branding and retail mark-ups come into play, sits between R300 million and R420 million a year. According to Business Tech, Clanwilliam is where much of that money flows, housing the industry's biggest processors, exporters and tea estates.

Clanwilliam's average income well below Western Cape

Despite its outsized economic role, residents of Clanwilliam earn considerably less than the provincial average. South African Revenue Service figures show the Western Cape average sits at roughly R28,972 a month, nearly R10,000 more than what the typical Clanwilliam taxpayer takes home.

Protecting the tea's identity has become just as important as growing it. The South African Rooibos Council's Secretary, Marthane Swart, said the industry received a major boost when the European Union granted Rooibos a Protected Designation of Origin in May 2021.

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Source: Briefly News