Governance challenges and unequal access in the commercialisation of honeybush: A case study from South Africa's Western Cape province

Native to South Africa, honeybush ( Cyclopia spp. ) has gained international commercial significance over the past decades. South Africa recognises indigenous groups' traditional knowledge of honeybush, and these groups are now striving to draw benefits from its commercialisation. Through a case study of a group of Khoikhoi honeybush harvesters in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and operationalising Ribot and Peluso's theory of access, we analyse the mechanisms shaping indigenous groups' ability to benefit from honeybush commercialisation. Compared to other actors along the value chain, the indigenous harvesters only experience limited benefits from the commercialisation of honeybush. Lack of access to technology and capital are found to be key limitations. In addition, ambiguities resulting from legal pluralism, current tensions between the local traditional authority and democratic institutions, as well as within the traditional authority, generate unclear governance arrangements, further hindering local participation in the commercial use of the resource. Analysing the findings in the context of South Africa's history of racial oppression, the study sheds light on continuities in the unequal access to and distribution of resources in post-apartheid South Africa.