Rooibos benefit-sharing agreement (South Africa)
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
A rooibos industry benefit-sharing arrangement in South Africa paid 12.2 million rand to two San and Khoi councils in its first year, set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price. Cultural Survival reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities.
As reported in the South African government statement of July 2022; the first-year payment was 12.2 million rand.
Status As of the latest dated sources reviewed (2025): the first-year payment of 12.2 million rand was reported in July 2022; no later payment figure and no court case are on record in the sources reviewed.
- Two San and Khoi councils — Received the first-year payment of 12.2 million rand, divided equally. gov.za (South African government)
What happened
In July 2022 the South African government published a statement on gov.za, titled "Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaboration". The statement reported a payment from the rooibos sector to San and Khoi communities.
According to the record reviewed, the benefit-sharing amount was set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price. The first-year payment, in 2022, was 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils.
In June 2020 Cultural Survival reported on the arrangement under the headline "Indigenous Peoples to Share In Tea Industry Profits". It reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state.
Farmer's Weekly reported that rooibos exports were 5,900 tonnes in 2015 and 9,700 tonnes in 2024, and about 10,930 tonnes in 2025.
- 2015Rooibos exports at 5,900 tonnes (Farmer's Weekly)
- 2020Cultural Survival reports on the arrangement (1 June); reports that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state
- 2022Government statement (July) reports payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities; first-year payment 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils
- 2024Rooibos exports at 9,700 tonnes
- 2025Rooibos exports at about 10,930 tonnes
What was said
“Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaboration”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Described the payment as a milestone for industry-wide collaboration.
gov.za (South African government)Reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state.
Cultural SurvivalHow it looked
Shown
- The agreement was described as the first industry-wide agreement of its kind in the world.South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the Rooibos Council, as recorded · gov.za (South African government)
Recorded
- The benefit-sharing amount was 1.5% of the farm-gate price.
- The first-year payment (2022) was 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils.
- About 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities (Cultural Survival, 2020).
- The Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state (Cultural Survival, 2020).
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- dffe-south-africa (July 2022): Published a statement presenting the payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities as a milestone for industry-wide collaboration. · gov.za (South African government)
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Accounts
- Disputed Is the arrangement a model for benefit-sharing with the Khoi and San?
Record
- None on record The amount paid after the first year is not on record in the sources reviewed.
- Insufficient The government statement and the 1.5% and 12.2 million rand figures are reported through the statement as summarised and were not independently verified.
- None on record The Khoi and San are reported as not officially recognised by the state (Cultural Survival, 2020); the sources reviewed do not record the state's own position on this.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not state the legal basis for the arrangement or how the councils spend the payment.
Did the harm stop?
Who paid?
Sources
Government and regulators
- Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaborationgov.za (South African government) · 2022-07
Press and investigations
- Rooibos exports keeping the industry goingFarmer's Weekly · 2025
Communities and civil society
- Indigenous Peoples to Share In Tea Industry ProfitsCultural Survival · 2020-06-01