BIPOC-Owned South Africa

Published April 27th 2026
Last Edited May 1st 2026

Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa's economy remains shaped by its history in ways that are visible everywhere, and most obviously in who owns what. White South Africans make up roughly 7-8% of the population yet hold an estimated 72-79% of privately held farmland, according to various government audits and academic analyses. The figures are contested politically and the full picture of land reform is genuinely complicated, but the direction they point is not. In the wine industry specifically, the numbers are starker: according to the industry body Vinpro, fewer than 3% of vineyard acreage is under Black ownership, and of approximately 2,800 wine farmers in the country, around 60 are Black. Black-owned wine brands accounted for less than 1% of litres sold domestically in 2020.

This matters as context because South Africa also has a piece of legislation called Black Economic Empowerment, known as BEE, which requires that many businesses hold a minimum of 51% BIPOC ownership on paper. In practice, BEE compliance and genuine BIPOC ownership are not the same thing. It has produced a category of businesses that qualify on paper while remaining managed, directed and culturally shaped by white South Africans.

The businesses on this page are ones where the ownership and the management sit with the same people. We have done our best to verify this, though we are not claiming to have found everyone worth knowing. These are introductions to people doing work we respect, in a context where that work carries real weight.

Johannesburg

Sanctuary Mandela | Boutique Hotel, Houghton Nelson Mandela's primary Johannesburg residence from 1992 to 1998, the house where he negotiated the talks that led to South Africa's democratic rebirth and where he received world leaders, has been reimagined as a nine-room heritage boutique hotel. It is managed by Motsamayi Tourism Group (see lodges section), South Africa's oldest Black-empowered tourism entity, on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which owns the property. The fine dining restaurant, Insights, serves dishes prepared by Xoliswa Ndoyiya, Mandela's personal chef of over twenty years. Each room is named after a chapter of his life. The Sunday jazz lunches have become an institution.

The Soweto Hotel | thesowetohotel.co.za | Soweto A four-star, woman-owned hotel where rooms tell the story of the anti-apartheid struggle and staff are genuine guides to the neighbourhood beyond the lobby.

Gemelli Cucina Bar | Restaurant, Bryanston Alessandro Mosupi Khojane grew up in Rome in a large family and brought that sensibility back to Johannesburg. Gemelli is hearty, warm and quietly excellent, with fresh pasta, cicchetti and desserts that take their cues from his Italian upbringing. It won the 2022 Luxe Global Award and has earned a loyal following.

Vuyos | Restaurant, Soweto On Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Miles Kubheka opened Vuyos with the stated aim of empowering young entrepreneurs alongside serving modern African cuisine. A Soweto visit that earns its place on its own terms rather than as a township tour.

Artivist | Restaurant & Cultural Space, Braamfontein Co-founded by Bradley Williams and Kenny Nzama as a pan-African creative gathering space where food, art and music coexist. The menu draws on African and Mediterranean influences with consciously sourced ingredients. It has consistently drawn Johannesburg's Black creative community.

Daze House | Boutique Hotel, Observatory An art-forward boutique hotel where each room is painted in vivid colour and draws its character from a different African country. Founder Gabe Leavall was deliberate about the design and the energy, and online reviews consistently praise both the atmosphere and the warmth of the staff.

The Soweto Hotel | Hotel, Soweto A four-star, woman-owned hotel that wears its history openly. Rooms tell the story of the anti-apartheid struggle and the staff are genuine guides to the neighbourhood. It manages to be both memorial and a comfortable place to stay, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds.

Sakhumzi Restaurant | @sakhumzirestaurant | Vilakazi Street, Soweto What began with a group of friends in 2001 has become one of Soweto's most established restaurants, known for its traditional all-day buffet, lively local music and an atmosphere that feels genuinely communal rather than performed. The Soweto Steak is the menu item most cited by visitors. Two decades old and still drawing crowds.

Queen Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant | Dawn Heights, Johannesburg Ethiopian cuisine made with spices imported from Ethiopia and locally sourced, naturally grown ingredients. Combination platters for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters. Online reviews consistently single out the specialty coffees as worth staying for after the meal.

The Prawnery | @theprawnery | Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank Black-owned seafood restaurant in Rosebank with XO Giant Tiger Prawns as the flagship dish. Sophisticated, seafood-forward and consistently well reviewed. A good option for clients who want something upmarket without the steakhouse default.

Wine Night Stand | @wine_night_stand | Jeppestown A Black-owned wine bar in Jeppestown with an extensive South African wine collection and a regular programme of events including speed dating soirees, tastings and community gatherings. One of the few independently owned wine-focused spaces in Johannesburg with a genuinely diverse clientele.

Pata Pata | Maboneng A long-running pan-African restaurant in Maboneng combining food, culture and live music. Modern takes on African cuisine: seafood, grilled meats, rich stews. Described consistently in reviews as a full experience rather than just a restaurant.

Manaka Coffee | @manakacoffee | manakacoffee.co.za | Polofields Crossing, Waterfall City (flagship) & multiple locations South Africa's most prominent Black-owned specialty coffee roastery, founded by four partners: Bradley Symons, Phumlani Sibeko, Neo Moleko-Siphayi and Alessandro Mosupi Khojane (of Gemelli). Sibeko has over twenty years of roasting experience. Manaka means "the horns of a bull" in Sesotho, representing prosperity and determination. The signature blend, Phats and Bones, carries notes of cherry and dark chocolate. Beans are sourced from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Guatemala. The Waterfall City flagship is designed around African aesthetics with a bar shaped like a traditional hut, and serves a halaal South African-inspired food menu alongside the coffee. Consistently in the top ten of the Coffee Magazine Awards. Seven locations across Gauteng including Sasol forecourt stores, a Rand Steam branch and corporate spaces. Beans available online.

Magugu House | @thebemagugu | magugu.co.za | Bompas Road, Dunkeld Thebe Magugu won the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers in 2019, the first African designer to do so. His Dunkeld flagship operates as showroom, atelier, gallery and event space simultaneously in a 1931 double-storey house. Collections are named after university subjects and read as investigations into South African history. One of the most considered retail environments in the country.

Rich Mnisi | @richmnisi | richmnisi.com | Johannesburg Rich Mnisi's multidisciplinary creative practice spans fashion, furniture and fine art, rooted in a distinctly Southern African visual language. Africa Fashion International Young Designer of the Year, with collaborations including H&M and Adidas. His Johannesburg presence is worth seeking out for clients interested in what contemporary South African design actually looks like.

MaXhosa by Laduma | @maxhosa_africa | maxhosa.africa | Johannesburg & Cape Town Laduma Ngxokolo founded MaXhosa in 2012 from a desire to create knitwear rooted in the aesthetics of Xhosa initiation tradition. Now a luxury brand with international stockists and major fashion house collaborations. The cultural reference is substantive and carefully maintained.

L'Atelier Yswara | @yswara | yswara.com | Maboneng Precinct Swaady Martin left a corporate career to build Yswara around the ritual of African tea drinking, sourcing every ingredient from African soil. The pastel pink salon in Maboneng is both a retail space and a place to slow down. The teas are extraordinary and the space reflects a genuine philosophy rather than an aesthetic. One of the most complete sensory retail experiences in Johannesburg.

Dlala Nje | @dlalanje | dlalanje.org | Ponte Tower, Hillbrow

Dlala Nje means "just play" in isiZulu, and the name reflects both the community centre at its core and the tours that fund it. Founded in 2012 inside the iconic Ponte Tower in Hillbrow, it operates as a social enterprise and registered NPO: every ticket sold goes directly into youth programmes, after-school education and safe spaces for children in one of Johannesburg's most densely populated neighbourhoods. CEO Grant Ngcobo has been part of Dlala Nje since he was 14 years old, joining as a participant in 2012 and working his way through guide to chief executive. The tours themselves are among the most genuinely immersive available in Johannesburg: walking experiences through Hillbrow and Yeoville, a Taste of Africa foodie tour through Yeoville's pan-African restaurant strip, the Ponte Tower experience from the 51st floor, and a curated Soweto Derby matchday package taking guests from the Ponte rooftop to FNB Stadium with local guides, shuttle and post-match sundowners. Over 25,000 visitors since 2012.

Uncle Merv's | @the_maboneng_uncle_mervs | 278 Fox Street, Maboneng Bongani Classic Ndlovu has been running this corner kiosk at Fox and Kruger Streets in Maboneng seven days a week for over five years, barista and creative director in one. He roasts 100% Arabica beans with a signature secret spice, and the space doubles as a gallery for artwork he sells alongside his coffee, including pieces by sculptor Sifiso Mkhabela. Two shih tzus keep post on the counter. Vintage bicycles available to hire for exploring Maboneng before or after your cup. A proper Maboneng fixture, known as much for the conversation as the coffee.

Chick Cosmetics | @chickcosmetics | chickcosmetics.co.za Founded in Johannesburg in 2018 by Nomfundo Njibe, who set out to build a beauty brand driven by diversity and confidence rather than conventional standards. Cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, with a range covering skincare, makeup and tools. Won the 2022 Luxe Global Award for beauty. Described as one of the most innovative and fastest-growing beauty companies on the continent.

Lelive | @lelive.africa | leliveafrica.com Founded in 2020 by actress and entrepreneur Amanda du Pont. Lelive is her unofficial Swazi name, meaning "of the nation or world." Dermatologically tested, clean, affordable skincare made in Africa and specifically formulated for African skin. The tinted moisturiser All the Shade won the 2022 Woman & Home Beauty Award for best in category. Packaged in recyclable aluminium, 95% natural ingredients. Available at Superbalist and select retailers nationally.

Dermopal | @dermopalgroup | dermopal.co.za | Johannesburg Founded by Dr Leslie Nteta, South Africa's first Black dermatologist, Dermopal was built on a straightforward premise: to develop skincare specifically for African skin. The range addresses suncare, hyperpigmentation, acne, shaving bumps and scarring. 100% Black-owned with a majority female workforce. Available at Clicks and Dischem nationally. The clinical credibility behind the brand is not marketing language: Nteta has spent his career studying exactly the skin conditions his products address.

Black African Organics | @blackafricanorganics | blackafrican.co.za Founded in 2016 by Ndo and Mondli, combining African botanical ingredients with science-backed formulations for melanin-rich skin and textured hair. Uses rooibos, baobab, marula, shea, argan and clinical actives including vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. Over 10,000 product kits sold. Cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulphate-free. Available online.

Gallery MOMO | @gallerymomo | gallerymomo.com | Parktown North, Johannesburg & Cape Town Founded in 2002 by Monna Mokoena, Gallery MOMO holds a specific place in South African cultural history as the country's first wholly Black-owned gallery of its kind. Working in photography, sculpture and painting, it represents established and emerging artists from across the continent and the diaspora, with a residency programme for international curators and artists. Mokoena's stated aim from the beginning was to legitimise African contemporary art for a global audience, and the gallery has since paved the way for South Africa's return to the Venice Biennial. Exhibitions span solo and group shows, with artists including Mary Sibande and Ayana V Jackson among those represented. A Cape Town branch opened in 2015. Most recently Mokoena opened MOMO Outskirts, a bespoke gallery and event space in the Cradle Valley World Heritage Site outside Johannesburg, pairing art with food, music and landscape in a restored stone building.

Curiocity Joburg | @curiocity.africa | curiocity.africa | Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg Bheki Dube founded Curiocity at 21, having started a walking tour company called Main Street Walks at 16, taking people through inner-city Johannesburg before it was considered a tourist destination at all. The Maboneng flagship was the first Black-owned hybrid hotel of its kind on the continent when it opened in 2013, blending hostel, hotel, co-working and cultural programming under one roof. The Maboneng location sits at the heart of the creative precinct with a rooftop bar, pool, bike-friendly outdoor spaces and a communal energy that draws locals and travellers together rather than separating them. Art, literature and decor throughout are sourced deliberately from African makers and creatives. Curiocity also runs its own locally-led walking tours as part of the stay. Now a growing chain with properties in Cape Town and Durban as well as additional Johannesburg spaces including Fox Street Studios and The Urban Fox. Worth noting for clients across price points: Curiocity operates across a range from hostel dormitories to luxury penthouses.

Yeoville Dinner Club | @yeovilledinnerclub | yeovilledinnerclub.com | 24 Rockey Street, Yeoville Sanza Sandile is a former radio broadcaster and self-described cook and storyteller who has run this communal dinner table above Rockey Street for over a decade. Up to 18 strangers sit together nightly for a pan-African smorgasbord sourced from the Yeoville street market below: Mozambican-style fried tilapia, Nigerian-inspired jollof, Ghanaian groundnut stews, East African chakalaka, his own pickled vegetables and preserved chillies. There are no menus and sitting with people you already know is actively discouraged. Sanza greets guests on the street and brings them up; Uber drivers are often reluctant to enter Yeoville so he communicates arrival logistics in advance. Anthony Bourdain sought him out. Erykah Badu, Damian Marley and Antonio Banderas have eaten at his table. He has taken the dinner club on a US tour. Dubbed the "El Bulli of Yeoville" and one of the most singular dining experiences in South Africa by reviewers who consistently cite it as the best thing they did in Johannesburg. Book via Instagram or yeovilledinnerclub.com. Worth noting for clients: arrange transport in advance and have Sanza's number to hand on arrival.

BKhz Gallery | @bkhz | bkhz.art | Keyes Art Mile, 21 Keyes Avenue, Rosebank Founded in 2018 in Braamfontein by eSwatini-born artist Banele Khoza at 24, after a three-month residency in Paris where winning the Gerard Sekoto Award took him. He returned with a simple conviction: artists who deserved attention weren't getting it, and he had a platform to change that. BKhz relocated to Rosebank's Keyes Art Mile in 2021 and has since become one of Johannesburg's most important independently run gallery spaces for emerging South African artists. Khoza is rigorous about the architecture of each exhibition, from the colour of the walls to the atmosphere, and the open ground-floor façade on Keyes Avenue is deliberate: he has always preferred spaces without physical barriers to entry. Artists launched or elevated through BKhz include Lunga Ntila, Tatenda Chidora and Mashudu Nevhutalu. Khoza was candid in early 2025 about the global art market contraction of 2024 and what it means to survive as an African-owned independent gallery. The fact that BKhz is still growing is itself worth noting. Open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 15:00.

MOMO Outskirts | Cradle Valley, World Heritage Site Monna Mokoena's newer bespoke space opened in 2022 in a restored stone farm building in the Cradle Valley, pairing art with food, music and the extraordinary landscape of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. More curated and intimate than the Parktown North gallery, and designed specifically for multimedia experiences. Available by appointment and for private events.

The Cape Winelands

Lodges

Motsamayi Tourism Group properties Motsamayi is the oldest Black-empowered tourism entity in South Africa, established in 2001. It holds 51% Black ownership and is managed by a predominantly Black leadership team under CEO Jerry Mabena. It does not fit the same category as individually Black-owned businesses, but it is a different proposition from a BEE-compliant shell. Their properties:

Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge | Kruger National Park, Limpopo A permanently stationed luxury train on the historic Selati Bridge above the Sabie River, where guests once disembarked for the park in the 1920s. Twenty-four carriage rooms and seven Bridge House rooms, all with floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the river. Wildlife including elephants and hippos pass below. It is genuinely one of the most original hospitality concepts in Africa, and the non-colonial design brief was stated explicitly from the start.

Sanctuary Mandela | Houghton, Johannesburg (see full entry above)

Kruger Untamed & Kruger Station | Kruger National Park, Limpopo Kruger Untamed is a seasonal tented safari camp in a dry riverbed near Satara. Kruger Station is the lifestyle and day visitor centre adjacent to Kruger Shalati, built around the magic of the original station history.

AM Lodge | Hoedspruit, Limpopo Built by Auswell Mashaba and now directed by his children Nsovo and Njombo, AM Lodge is a five-star, maximum 22-guest property on a conservancy flanked by Big Five private game reserves in the Greater Kruger area. Six suites with complete seclusion, two with private plunge pools.

Daze House | Observatory, Johannesburg (see full entry above)

The Soweto Hotel | Soweto, Johannesburg (see full entry above)

Recommended for inclusive hospitality (not BIPOC-owned but excellent fits for BIPOC travellers)

Dorp Hotel | Signal Hill, Cape Town Conceived and designed by the late Gail Behr, Dorp sits perched on Signal Hill directly above Bo-Kaap and is one of the most genuinely welcoming and character-rich boutique hotels in Cape Town. It holds no liquor licence out of respect for the Muslim community below. The staff are universally cited in reviews for warmth that feels real. Each of the 42 rooms is individually designed. The views over the city are incomparable.

Significant community ownership(White-owned management companies operating lodges where local African communities hold majority or substantial equity stakes. Included because the community ownership is material and the experiences are genuinely excellent.)

Thonga Beach Lodge | thongabeachlodge.co.za | iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal The only private concession on the beach in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site. 24 beds, barefoot luxury, turtle tracking, and genuinely remote. The Mabibi community own 66% of the lodge, with Isibindi Africa Lodges leasing from them and managing operations. The lodge also funds meals for Mabibi Primary School. The community ownership here is the highest of any Isibindi property and one of the highest in South African private tourism.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge | rhinoridge.co.za | Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal The only private lodge concession inside South Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve, famed for its rhino conservation work and Big Five game viewing. The Mphembeni community hold 49% ownership in one company structure with Isibindi. Worth knowing also for its rhino tracking and the extraordinary ranger Nunu Jobe, known as the "rhino whisperer." 32 beds in a glass-and-wood lodge on a hill with views over the valley.

Cape Town

4 Roomed eKasi Culture | Restaurant & Experience, Khayelitsha Abigail Mbalo founded this on the concept of the four-roomed house of the South African township as a framework for living and eating together. The Khayelitsha restaurant was named among Travel & Leisure's top 30 restaurants in the world, and the bespoke dining experiences she offers go well beyond a meal. Cultural immersion done with complete authenticity.

Seven Colours Eatery | Restaurant, V&A Waterfront Founded by Nolukhanyo Dube-Cele and built around the Sunday plate, that South African tradition of pap, chakalaka, roasted meats and a rainbow of vegetables found on any township table at the weekend. The V&A location makes it accessible; the food makes it worth going.

Meeting Point | Restaurant, City Centre A Tanzanian-owned restaurant co-founded by Rita Foy and George Owira, with a menu running to nyama choma and fresh seafood with East African spicing. It has become a gathering place for both locals and visitors who want to experience Cape Town's connections to the rest of the continent.

Nkula Cocktail and Wine Bar | Bar & Wine, City Centre Founded by Simbi Nkula as a deliberate platform for South African wine labels, with a particular focus on Black-owned producers. A stylish, unpretentious space that draws an after-work crowd and tends to stretch into long evenings.

Ogun Clothing | Menswear, City Centre & Woodstock Menswear using South African cotton, denim, woolens and linen where possible, with a clean functional aesthetic that earns its locally-made credentials rather than simply claiming them.

Ukhamba Beerworx | Craft Beer, Cape Town Cape Town's first Black-owned brewery. Worth tracking down on tap around the city.

Camissa Travel & Marketing | Tours & Experiences, Cape Town Founded in 2006 by Khonaye and Samantha Tuswa, Camissa is 100% Black-owned and managed, and it shows in how the tours feel. They specialise in township tours centred on the people, culture and daily life of Langa and surrounding areas, and are emphatic that these are not poverty tours. Khonaye guides personally. The reviews from BIPOC travellers in particular are consistently exceptional.

African Xplora | Tours & Experiences, Cape Town Founded and managed by Tawanda Quinton Chikowore, African Xplora is a full-service premium tour operator covering activities, transfers and bespoke itineraries across Cape Town and beyond. Quinton built the business from direct experience rather than inherited infrastructure, and the approach reflects that.

Explore Sideways | Tours & Winelands Experiences, Cape Town A BIPOC-owned tour operator specialising in curated, private Cape Town and Winelands experiences. Known for thoughtful wine-focused itineraries, strong relationships with individual winemakers and an approach that is anything but generic. Consistently excellent reviews.

Marco's African Place | @marcosafricanplace | Bo-Kaap A long-standing Cape Town institution known for high-energy atmosphere, live music and a menu celebrating flavours from across the continent. Game meats, traditional dishes and Cape-inspired plates in a space that feels as alive as the food itself.

KwaMai Mutsa / Afro Deli Eatery | @afrodeliafricanrestaurant | 108 Long Street, City Centre Authentic pan-African cooking drawing on recipes from across the continent: West African stews, East African spicing, Southern African comfort food. Hearty, unfussy and genuinely cross-continental. Their tagline: "Local Taste, Global Love."

Jordan Ways of Cooking | @jordanwaysofcooking | Langa A soul food kitchen in the heart of Langa serving comfort-driven South African classics with warmth and flavour. Known especially for their Soulfood Sundays, where hearty home-style cooking meets a community atmosphere that is hard to replicate anywhere else. Breakfast, lunch and dinner through the week.

Mango Ginger | @mango.ginger | mangoginger.co.za | Observatory An Observatory fixture since 2006, Mango Ginger is a coffee shop, bakery and café built on whole, nutritious ingredients: stone-ground flour, full-fat dairy, free-range meats and a menu that accommodates gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian without making a performance of it. The gluten-free, sugar-free coconut and lemon cheesecake has its own following. A warm, unhurried space.

Mpintshi Yum | @mpintshi.yum | mpintshiyum.co.za | Cape Town Founded by sisters Lerato and Leigh Walters-Maine, Mpintshi Yum is a health-forward culinary brand offering ready-made meals, personal chef services, catering and immersive African food experiences that combine traditional cuisine with storytelling and music. Mpintshi means "friend" in Zulu. Available on Uber Eats and bookable for private dining and corporate wellness programmes.

Sunshine Food Co | @sunshinefoodct Founded by Elisha Madzivadondo, the Sunshine Food Co is a vegan food concept built around 100% organic, microgreens-based ingredients. The approach frames food as medicine: uplifting, life-giving and nutritionally dense. Elisha makes what reviewers have called world-class vegan burgers. Worth seeking out at markets and events.

Max Bagels Trailer | @maxbagelstrailer | Table View Parked near the Atlantic coastline in Table View, Max Bagels does one thing and does it well: fresh bagels made with consistency and care. People arrive after beach walks or mid-errand. No excess, no concept, just very good bagels.

Black Duke | @black_duke202 | 202 Lower Main Road, Observatory Chef-led café and soul food spot in Observatory serving bagels, wraps, sarmies and comfort food. A young, growing business with a clear personality and a book in-store to go with the coffee.

Lola's on Long | @lolasonlong | Long Street, City Centre Cape Town's cultural brasserie on Long Street, open from early morning. Breakfast, brunch, coffee and conversation from 06:30 Monday to Saturday.

Umlilo | @umlilo.cpt | 355 Albert Road, Woodstock & Neighbourgoods Market A tshisa nyama in Woodstock and at the Neighbourgoods Market on weekends. Grilled meat, fire and community in a Woodstock setting that draws a mixed crowd without trying to.

Nana's Retail Shop | @nanasretailshop | nanasretail.com

Cafés & Coffee

Yebo Baba | @yebobaba_coffee | 61 Loop Street, City Centre Started by lone barista Mthethunzima Dlukwana beside the Kalashnikov Gallery on Loop Street. African-themed blends, the Yebo Baba and the Tokoloshe, plus a Karoo-grown Mystic Mesquite for when you want a break from caffeine. Small, friendly and entirely its own thing. Also operates a mobile coffee cart bookable for weddings, corporate events and markets.

Heaven Coffee | @heavencoffeect | Central Methodist Mission, Greenmarket Square, City Centre Founded by Mondli Mahamba, who arrived at the Central Methodist Mission as a homeless person and asked the minister if he could rent a space. He completed a professional barista course at Origin Coffee Roasting in 2017 and opened Heaven the same year. His mission is a space where lawyers, homeless people and tourists all sit together. He uses locally roasted beans, trains people who have been through difficulty, and is clear that this is not a charity. One of those Cape Town stories that holds up completely under scrutiny.

Siki's Koffee | @sikis_koffee | Khayelitsha & Cavendish Square, Claremont Sikelela Dibela worked his way from dishwasher at Vida e Caffè to barista, spent two years in London where he identified the gap, and in 2016 opened Cape Town's first township coffee shop from his mother's garage. Beans from Ethiopia, Kenya and Burundi, roasted on site. He now supplies other cafés including Clarke's in the CBD. Two locations: the original Khayelitsha garage, which is worth visiting in its own right, and a second branch at Cavendish Square in Claremont. Has served Siya Kolisi.

Kasteel Café | @kasteel.capetown | kasteel.capetown | City Centre Founded by Junior, who built the café around his belief in coffee as a catalyst for genuine connection. A focused, well-run weekday café open Monday to Friday.

Café Zoé | @cafezoe_ct | Newlands Founded and run by Joshua Chitongo. A neighbourhood café with a community focus and quality coffee.

Ollies | @olliesza | Sea Point A coffee shop and community space in Sea Point described as a dream in progress.

Pang Specialty Coffee | @pangspecialtycoffee | 92 Wale Street, Bo-Kaap Specialty coffee at the edge of the Bo-Kaap. Pang signs off every cup personally. Precise, quality-obsessed and worth seeking out.

Imbizo African Coffee | @imbizoafricancoffee | imbizoafricancoffee.co.za | Gardens Established in 2017, Imbizo is an African artisan coffee roastery sourcing Arabica green beans exclusively from African origins across the continent. The name means "the gathering." Roasts and supplies beans to the corporate and consumer market as well as serving from its Gardens location.

Gugulethu Coffee | @gugulethucoffee | Mobile, available for event bookings Founded by Bongani Rasmeni, a trained barista from the Eastern Cape, who built Gugulethu Coffee as a mobile pop-up operation in 2014 after working at Vida e Caffè. Operates at events, weddings, conferences and markets. His blend uses organic single-origin beans. A good supplier to recommend to clients planning Cape Town events who want everything about their gathering to reflect the city properly.

Retail & Fashion

A33 | @a33capetown | a33ishome.com | 7 Orphan Street, City Centre

Kdeux Clothing | @kdeux_clothing 

Ogun Clothing | City Centre & Woodstock Menswear using South African cotton, denim, woolens and linen where possible. Clean, functional aesthetic that earns its locally-made credentials.

Slow Sew Studio | @slowsewstudio Slow and sustainable fashion brand focused on conscious clothing and repairs.

Barley's Closet | @barleysbloset Curated preloved clothing platform. Both Slow Sew Studio and Barley's Closet share the same founder.

Products, Services & Wellness

Ring Lifestyle Boxing Club | @ringlifestyleboxingclub Boxing-led fitness and lifestyle club. A good active experience for clients who want something physically and culturally grounded.

Selective Live | @selective_live

Nomi Handmade | nomihandmade.co.za Founded by Thandie, a textile jewellery brand using traditional shweshwe fabric. Ready-to-wear necklaces, bracelets and earrings available online and at markets. Jewellery-making workshops run from her Bo-Kaap studio, bookable via Airbnb Experiences: a hands-on, take-home experience that works well as a first or last day activity.

Ridge & Soul | @ridgeandsoul 

Black Rose Concepts | @blackroseconcepts

Suki Suki Naturals | Founded by Linda Gieskes-Mwamba, originally from the DRC. Natural hair and skincare products free from toxic beauty ingredients, formulated for the African sun and African hair. Available online and at select stockists.

Dweba Art & Café | @dweba_art_cafe | 167 Longmarket Street, City Centre

Founded by Thobile Ndarana and launched in February 2025, Dweba is a gallery and café in one, occupying a light-filled space on Longmarket Street in the CBD. Ndarana's stated vision is a platform for artists who work with social commentary and contemporary issues across a broad range of visual languages, including humour, satire, performance and live art. The gallery hosts rotating exhibitions and has already collaborated with TFAG/Africa on events timed to First Thursdays. Business Live called it "a breath of fresh air" when it opened. Open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00, Saturday 08:00 to 13:00. Very new, worth watching closely.

Gallery MOMO Cape Town | @gallerymomo | gallerymomo.com The Cape Town branch of Monna Mokoena's Johannesburg-founded gallery, opened in 2015. Represents South African and international artists working in photography, sculpture and painting, with particular attention to contemporary work from the continent and the diaspora. One of the most respected gallery brands in the country, and notable as the first Black-owned gallery of its kind when it opened in Johannesburg in 2002.

South Africa's wine industry has a specific history that sits just beneath the surface of every tasting room visit. The dop system, under which farm workers were partly paid in wine, persisted informally well into the 1990s even after it was officially abolished. Against this backdrop, the following producers represent something more than good bottles.

Klein Goederust Boutique Winery | Winery & Restaurant, Franschhoek Paul Siguqa is the first Black winery owner in Franschhoek, having purchased the dilapidated Klein Goederust estate in 2019. He grew up in the valley, the son of a farm labourer on the kind of estate he now owns. His head winemaker, Rodney Zimba, shares almost the same story: their parents worked alongside each other on the same wine farm. The flagship Cap Classique is named Nomaroma, after Paul's mother. The restaurant serves African food. When asked why not French, Siguqa's answer was simple: Franschhoek is in Africa. Klein Goederust is, according to Wine Enthusiast, the first and only 100% Black-owned and operated vineyard and winery in South Africa.

Aslina Wines | Winery, Stellenbosch Ntsiki Biyela was South Africa's first Black female winemaker, a distinction she earned after being awarded a scholarship to study at Stellenbosch University and going on to win gold at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards on her first release. She launched Aslina in 2017, naming it after her grandmother. The Umsasane Bordeaux-style blend is the flagship; the name means "acacia tree" in Zulu, which was also her grandmother's nickname. She sits on the board of the Pinotage Youth Development Academy and has been listed among the world's top ten most innovative women in food and drink.

Seven Sisters Vineyards | Winery, Stellenbosch Run by Vivian Kleynhans and her six sisters, with each wine named for one of them. A family story in the most literal sense, and one that predates much of the current conversation about BIPOC ownership in the Winelands.

Tesselaarsdal | Wine Label, Hemel-en-Aarde Berene Sauls named her label after Johannes Tesselaars, a man who left his land to servants and freed slaves in 1810. Sauls started as an au pair at Hamilton Russell Vineyards at 19, worked her way through administration and exports, became curious about winemaking and ultimately built a wholly owned label producing elegant Pinot Noir that is distributed in the US, UK and Norway. She acquired 16 hectares of her own land in 2019. Her wines command serious critical attention.

Black Elephant Vintners | Winery, Franschhoek Co-founded by Raymond Ndlovu alongside Kevin Swart and Jacques Wentzel, who relocated their families from Johannesburg to the Franschhoek Valley to build this. Consistent critical attention and a genuine commitment of life choices behind the project.

Ses'fikile Wines | Wine Label, Stellenbosch Founded by Nondumiso Pikashe, who grew up in Gugulethu township and set out to dismantle the cultural distance between Black South Africans and wine. After eleven years of teaching, she built Ses'fikile as both a brand and a community education project. The wines feature regularly on Coffee Beans Routes' Colour of Wine Safari.

New Dawn | newdawnwine.co.za | @drinknewdawn | Western Cape Founded by Rüdger van Wyk, winner of the 2018 Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year and former head winemaker at Stark-Condé. Van Wyk identifies as a "coloured kid from George" and his launch of New Dawn in 2024 as his first fully independent project was met with 96 points from Master of Wine Greg Sherwood on debut. Honest winemaking, minimal intervention, wines built to be drunk rather than stored.

Khayelitsha's Finest Wines | @khayelitshasfinestwines Winemaker: @lindilelukedallasndzaba

M'hudi Wines | mhudi.com | Stellenbosch The first entirely Black-owned wine tourism farm in South Africa, owned by the Rangaka family. M'hudi is a Setswana word meaning "harvester," also the name of a courageous fictional heroine. A 42-hectare vineyard on the Old Paarl Road near Koelenhof, with wine tasting and food platters by reservation.

Carmen Stevens Wines | Stellenbosch Carmen Stevens was the first Black woman admitted to Elsenburg Agricultural College to study winemaking, in 1993, only after being denied three times because of her race. She launched her own label in 2011 and in 2019 became the first Black woman to open a winery in Stellenbosch. Her wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Carménère.

Novel Wine | novelwine.co.za |

Further labels worth knowing: Bridge of Hope (Rosemary Mosia), Son of the Soil (Denzel Swarts), Sugarbird Gin (co-founded by Nzeka Biyela, a Cape fynbos spirit that has expanded into brandy and rum, contributing to women and BIPOC entrepreneur programmes with each bottle sold).

A note on our own trips: Mpinji runs dedicated group trips to the Cape Winelands specifically focused on meeting Black winemakers, understanding the land ownership context and tasting with the people who made the wine. If you would like to join one of these itineraries, or have us design a private version SPEAK TO US.

A note on this section: some of the properties below are BIPOC-owned outright, some are owned and managed through Black-empowered group structures (which, as noted above, is a different thing), and some are included because they are meaningfully committed to inclusive hospitality and make an excellent fit for BIPOC travellers even where ownership is more complicated. We have tried to be clear about which is which.