OnTap Magazine

OT: You’ve also been busy outside of brewing. Tell us about the Ukhamba podcast. LT: Earlier this year we decided to launch a podcast which is basically about pairing beer with stories – real human stories. Outside what we’re used to on TV and in magazines and some other podcasts where we have to listen to stories about people who are well-accomplished in a certain discipline – musicians, celebrities, academics and entrepreneurs – there is also a whole lot of ordinary people who are just living their lives. It’s crazy that as a world we have managed to convince ourselves –as well as them – that their stories are not important. But these people have unique lives and there are a lot of ordinary people with extraordinary stories. OT: Some of your guests on the podcast had a particular impact on you – can you tell us more about that? LT: So we had a couple of guests on the show who are sex workers. They told their stories of how they grew up, their lives as mothers, as wives at one time, how they got into sex work and their lives as sex workers. We also talked a lot about the criminalisation of sex work which puts sex workers’ lives at risk because it creates a stigma. They also find themselves getting a lot of abuse at the hands of the police which makes them powerless because they can’t report to anyone else. If they get raped or robbed they can’t get protection from the police because the police are telling them they shouldn’t be on the streets; that what they’re doing is wrong. It’s crazy because we don’t’ understand why sex work is criminal – we don’t question it. OT: Ukhamba has now taken on a cause that’s generally a bit of a taboo in our society – what are you doing to spread the word? LT: We decided to join an organisation called Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT)in their fight for the decriminalisation of sex work. We believe that if it’s decriminalised then the stigma will be dealt with and the workers will get protection from the police and fair treatment from the health services – just like any other citizens. As human beings they deserve equal treatment just like anyone else. Our personal opinions of what they do, our moral objections – that is another thing. We at Ukhamba think this is a human rights issue – they should be able to live just like other people. We want to bring the sex work issue onto the beer table, so the next batch of our sorghum saison has been bottled with five different labels. The labels have stories of five different sex workers. Some of them have fallen victims of situations that could have been avoided if sex work was not criminal. Others are just telling their stories as human beings. OT: It sounds like 2021 has already been a big year for Ukhamba. What’s next? LT: After a period of contract brewing, our brewery at Makers Landing is now up and running and once the teething problems have all passed, we want to do collabs with as many local and even international breweries as possible. We want to have fun and push the boundaries of flavour – we want to brew with as many different spices and flavours as we can. And of course we want to welcome people to our new home – it really is a great place to be. BEVPLUS (PTY) LTD 13 MICHIGAN STREET, AIRPORT INDUSTRIA, CAPE TOWN 7490, SOUTH AFRICA T: +27 21 820 9500 | F: +27 86 719 2632 | E: info@bevplus.com | www.bevplus.com WE PROVIDE INNOVATIVE BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS AND EQUIPMENT TO CRAFT BREWERIES | HOME BREWERS | RESTAURANTS | HOTELS | CATERERS BREWING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES BOTTLES, CROWN CORKS & GROWLERS DISPENSING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES KEGS, PARTY KEGS, CHILLERS AND MOBILE BARS MALT, YEAST, HOPS AND ADDITIVES LAB & MEASURING EQUIPMENT