Wine farm child reaps the fruits of his labour

Denzel Swartz was destined to work as a labourer on a wine farm but he rose through the ranks to get his dream job.

Swartz comes from three generations of farm workers on the Simonsig wine farm in Stellenbosch.

His grandfather was a general worker‚ his father a foreman and his mother worked in the kitchen‚ while various extended family members also worked on the farm. Swartz had other aspirations‚ however.

“I have always believed that farm workers are the most skilled workers because they do a variety of tasks. They have to clean pipes‚ they need to cut grapes‚ they must be able to work in the cellar but that was not for me. I always wanted to work in the wine industry.”

Swartz said he wanted to attend an agricultural high school in Paarl but due to a lack of funds, he was unable to.

“I was so frustrated but I told myself that if I received an opportunity to not be a general worker‚ I would grab it with both hands. I knew that I wanted to be in a position where I can give opportunities to other children like me. My parents did enough general labour for me to settle in that also.”

In high school he worked on the farm‚ saving the money he earned. In his matric year he enrolled in a vineyard pruning course at Elsenburg Agricultural College. Once he completed the course he had a practical component to complete. That was to be his breakthrough moment at the age of 18.


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