South Africa: Identity, Equity, Clarity – – and a Cup of Tea
As the COP17 Convention on Biological Diversity begins in Yerevan, Armenia, let’s look at South Africa’s rooibos, buchu and honeybush benefit sharing agreements.
South Africa has been blessed with an abundance of indigenous infusions. Beverages made from deliciously fragrant plants such as rooibos, buchu and honeybush are central to our nation’s sense of self. Rooibos is especially important – in a country where very few everyday pleasures cross divisions of race, class, gender and geography, it is a familiar friend to all.
Whether you favour the amber brew syrupy-sweet and milky, light and lemony or as a pot laden with leaves and stokkies, intensifying hour after hour at the back of a stove, rooibos is Mzansi’s traditional taste of home.
In recent years rooibos (and to a lesser extent buchu and honeybush) has gone global. These herbal teas now grace the elegant emporium shelves of Fortnum & Mason in London and the Parisian tea house tables of Mariage Frères. Celebrity fans abound. Chefs and mixologists have taken our humble leaves into a delicious diversity of cocktails and bonbons.
Their international importance extends beyond trendy tea parties and famous fans. As delegates gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for COP17 – the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (19-30 October 2026) – South Africa brings important experience to the debate about.
By Daily Maverick.
