In South Africa, the era of apartheid still looms large. It may be more than 30 years since NelsonMandela was freed fromprison, and almost three decades since a new constitution enfranchised the black population and other racial groups, but it is not so easy to eliminate prejudices built up over a much longer period. Black women, in particular, suffered repression during apartheid, and still today are battling for equal recognition in business and the workplace. In these unique circumstances, a group of determined women have broken down barriers, overcome social stereotypes, and become successful entrepreneurs in the wine industry – a hugely significant sector that contributes more than US$2.6 billion annually to the country’s GDP. Before the annihilation of apartheid in 1994, the South African wine industry was a no-go area for black women. It was dominated by the established white, landed, settler elites. The presence of black people was solely as cheap labour. There is a centuries-old history of suppression based on race, gender and class, a history entwined in black and white identities within the industry. Under apartheid, black people could not lease or own land, farms or vineyards. Instead, they provided the labour to work on them. Black women were the most negatively affected. They were ‘non-white, female and poor’ – denied access to work and education, pushed towards domestic labour for white masters. Even now, they are seen as the field workers, not the business owners. This is the establishment into which black women entrepreneurs are trying to break, where they want to be a legitimate presence. As one of them, Elena, told us: “I thought I could do what our people had never done before… I started my winemaking venture.” It is not easy. They may aspire to be recognised and accepted as legitimate, but they can be rejected – openly or covertly – just for being black women. They must challenge the norms and prejudices that frame their identities – they are not expected to fit into a socially constructed, entrepreneurial, white, middle-class, male archetype. USING CAPITAL We wanted to understand how they do it; how they utilise capital to frame their entrepreneurial identities separately from their social identities. We spoke to nine black women entrepreneurs in Cape Town to discover their experiences. All had been in the wine industry for at least 10 years, and had operated their own business for at least two. All have a resolute desire to succeed as entrepreneurs. We found they rebel against the expectation they must fit into a predetermined role, they challenge barriers, alter perceptions of what is socially legitimate in the industry, and demonstrate the importance of cultural capital, in particular, in building their legitimacy. Instead of being framed by society’s expectations of what black women ‘should’ be, they convert and use various forms of capital – both possessed by and available to them – to frame entrepreneurial identities. As they possess little or no economic capital – monetary income and business assets – given the legacy of apartheid, there are three forms of capital these women might use to 24 |
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