RACE WALKING
Walking a Unique Winelands Path
Ask Denzel Swarts about wine and he will tell you that beyond the taste , smell and look of a wine is the story it tells when you sip it , and the wines in his own range have a great story to tell . For the past decade , this race walker has broken the proverbial mould in the wine industry , proving that a son of farmworkers can work his way up to becoming a brand ambassador , developing his own wine range , and paying it forward by helping others to follow in his footsteps . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Brand Ambassador for Simonsig wines
Amongst the many victims of the COVID-19 pandemic has been South Africa ’ s liquor industry , with three separate governmentenforced shutdowns of the sale and transport of any liquor products taking a massive 20-plus week bite out of the industry ’ s business in the last year . The first ‘ ban on booze ’ was introduced last March with the initial level five lockdown restrictions , in order to reduce the number of drink-related trauma cases requiring treatment and accommodation in hospitals . This ban was carried through into the level four regulations that came into effect at the beginning of May , and it was only with the move to level three in June that sales of alcohol and on-site consumption of alcohol at restaurants and pubs was allowed again .
More bad news awaited the industry , with government implementing a second ban on alcohol from mid-July to mid-August , to help hospitals cope with a surge in COVID infections as winter took hold of the country . Then a third ban was announced on 28 December , to curb super-spreader New Year ’ s and holiday gatherings , and reduce the usual alcohol-related trauma cases that result . This third ban ran until early February .
Even though limited exports of wine was allowed during the various lockdown phases , the liquor industry effectively lost about four months of trading , costing the industry many millions of Rands , forcing farms and related companies to close , and causing many to lose their jobs . Even those still able to work have suffered , many being forced to accept reduced salaries as businesses have grimly tried to survive the industry lockdown .
One of these ‘ lockdown survivors ’ is 35-year-old race walker Denzel Swarts , a brand ambassador for Simonsig Wine Farm near Stellenbosch . “ The wine industry was supportive of the latest lockdown , but nevertheless feels that the government does not look at our industry in the same way as other industries . Even though we are one of the biggest contributors to the GDP of the Western Cape , we ’ ve felt more like the kid in the naughty corner this past year ,” he says . “ Many of us have taken huge salary cuts , which has meant we have had to call our banks to make arrangements regarding home loans and car repayments , because there is no COVID relief this time around . It is very tough having these conversations and being threatened with being blacklisted ! We ’ re all hoping it will get better for the wine industry , because if it doesn ’ t , we know we will have to start talking about more people losing jobs .”
Roots in the Winelands
In happier times , Denzel ’ s story has made him a celebrated success story of the wine industry . He was born into the family of third-generation farmworkers on Simonsig , one of the founding wine estates of the Stellenbosch Wine Route in the 1970s , and he began his educational journey in the farm ’ s Centre for Early Childhood Development . “ As a child , I was determined to become a viticulturist , but it was not a financial option for my parents . Nevertheless , they were adamant that my sister and I completed our
Images : Action Photo SA and courtesy Denzel Swarts
52 ISSUE 138 FEBRUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za