South Africa’s millionaire market shuts down
Popular Cape Winelands market and wine emporium, Root44 in Stellenbosch, will be shutting down until further notice.
The market’s management announced on 30 June that it would be closed until further notice, with jobs lost and ‘dreams and families’ affected.
The shutdown follows the permanent closure of the Root44 Restaurant—a prestigious fine-dining establishment on the property—earlier in June.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Root44 will be closed until further notice,” the Root44 Market said in a statement.
“This decision has not been made lightly. Sadly, jobs have been lost, dreams have been affected, and many families will feel the impact.”
“Despite our efforts, we have received no support from the Stellenbosch Municipality during this difficult time.”
Root44 is a 5.1-hectare property located on the R44 between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, and is a well-known tourism market in the area, originally built to showcase the wares of surrounding wine farms.
The market is located on Audacia farm in Stellenbosch, a millionaire hotspot surrounded by sweeping wine estates, including the historic Rust en Vrede.
Its roots can be traced to big names such as billionaire banker Paul Harris, who co-owned the farm with farmer Trevor Strydom—the original backers of the market.
After seeing over R200 million of investment pumped into the market since 2016, the facility was put on the market by its original developers in 2025.
It featured a Wine Emporium, oyster bar, café and full restaurant, all framed by the region’s vineyards.
Over the years, it drew thousands of visitors each week to experience the bustling food markets, live music, retail stalls and family entertainment.
It was positioned as “a flagship asset” for corporate brands or hospitality and tourism investors.
However, its prestige came with a significant caveat: the property was not zoned for retail or hospitality, making it a tricky location to navigate, requiring approvals from the municipality.
According to the municipality, the original development was granted rights in 2009 to develop a small tourist destination to showcase wines from local farms, which would become the Root44 Wine Emporium.
However, in 2012, there was a further application to use the land for retail purposes. At the time, the Wine Emporium had not yet been established, so this was granted, becoming the Root44 Market.
In 2017, when the developers wanted to make the market a permanent feature, the municipality allowed this on condition that the original Wine Emporium plans be dropped.
The municipality was of the view that the facility could manage only one or the other, not both, and expressed concern that a larger facility would continue to develop into a commercial node, disrupting the rural surroundings.
Root44’s popularity ultimately became its main hurdle.
As the development grew in popularity, more disputes arose, with complaints from the surrounding community about noise and the disruption of the peace becoming more common.
Root44 photos
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