Pictured here: : Presiding Senior Leader Zainodean Simmers (second from right with King Khoisan on his right) and members of the Cochoqua Blue Downs Royal House
An exciting project is unfolding in the Western Cape where 26 subsistence farmers of De Kuijlen Rivieren Khoisan community, under the leadership of Presiding Senior Leader and Traditional Healer, Zainodean Humcumqua Simmers, are raising funds to develop the Blue Downs Geslote Co-Operative farming initiative.
The idea is to farm quails for meat, eggs, and vegetables, and to have a legal private outlet for the cannabis grown by the community by the formation of the Blue Downs Social Club NPC.
The Cochoqua have embarked on this course of action in the face of ongoing police harassment and a desire to lift their small-scale farmers on all levels from a subsistence level to a sustainable business operation.
The Cochoqua Strikes Up Partnership with Green Mammoth and Nutriquail
They have joined forces with Green Mammoth private club’s Wayne Wright, and community-based nutrition and upliftment programme, Nutriquail, to create income generating opportunities for the community to lift them out of the trap of subsistence farming.
SL Zainodean Simmers Cochoqua Traditional Healer and Lynda Wright of Green Mammoth NPC, tells Cannabiz Africa,: “The broader goal is to create a true Khoisan community and cultural centre in the Blue Downs area. This centre could include selling fruit, vegetables, poultry (supplied by the co-operative, including quail and chicken), and more on select days; hosting cultural talks, traditional healing, and ceremonies; and providing rental space for small, community-run businesses (e.g., beauty salons, barbers).The cannabis club would be a private, low-key addition to help reduce risks and arrests.”
Wayne Wright and Arend Willemse of NutriQuail says, “Green Mammoth NPC together with NutriQuail are proud to be working with the Cochoqua Blue Downs Royal House on this program and has overwhelming support from the leadership. The farming and broader community have welcomed the program with open arms and have already started construction of the breeding enclosures and hatchery. This hatchery will provide 4-week-old chicks to the farmers and community to complete the breeding cycle.
NutriQuail Foods is the main driver in getting all these farmers’ products to market. NutriQuails is a sustainable community nutrition education and economic upliftment project with their livestock farming programs designed to enable households to breed their own quail for meat and eggs for consumption and sale.
The community has access to land in Blue Downs and other areas but currently lacks real opportunities beyond basic subsistence farming. With a 30 to 40% unemployment in the area, many community members have long been surviving on illegal cannabis cultivation and sales as their only viable source of income.
Bypassing the High Barriers to Entry into the Cape Town Cannabis Space
Zainodean explains: “Currently, several existing “black market” cannabis cultivators in the area want to formalise their operations. In areas like Blue Downs and Delft, cannabis-related arrest activity has surged (up 390% this year, for even as little as possession of a joint), while numerous dispensaries, Section 21 companies, and social clubs operate openly elsewhere in Cape Town with no cannabis-related arrests.”
To find a solution, Leader Zainodean, who is also a traditional healer, investigated various models and social club structures. Senior Khoisan representatives visited a number of ‘dispensaries’ and cannabis outlets in the Cape and made inquiries about how to open their own club or store. However, they found there are high barriers to entry in the Cape Town cannabis space, with large rentals, expensive franchise fees and restrictions on growing their own supplies.
Determined to find a way to formalize their operations and maintain their independence, the community found an empathetic ear with Green Mammoth.
Lynda Wright says, “Sometimes social media can be great. Some time ago, I followed Zainodean on Facebook, being interested in him as a Khoisan man, the Khoisan Revivalist Movement, his work on cannabis and his indigenous knowledge. I saw a familiar face on Project Indlela, and reached out. When Wayne and I met the Khoisan , there was an immediate synergy.”
“There is a real desire by this community to operate a non-commercial cannabis social club, but this is hindered by a lack of capital resources to form the non-profit company and related setup costs” say Lynda and SL Simmers.
Wayne and Lynda say: “Green Mammoth will have no interests in the social club. It will be founded and run by the Khoisan community with involvement from the Paramount Chiefs, Traditional Healer and Senior Chiefs of the Tribe. Green Mammoth is merely a mentor to help ensure best practices. As a Grow one Africa affiliate, the Green Mammoth serves as an advocate for the GOAlite model, regulation, responsible adult use and community development in the cannabis space.”
Appeal to the Broader Cannabis Community for Funding Assistance
Green Mammoth NPC, as Cochoqua De Kuijlen Rivieren affiliates and NutriQuail, seek viable, community-led opportunities for the Khoisan community with an
emphasis on the Blue Downs area as part of our community outreach efforts and have launched a funding appeal to get the project off the ground.
“Funding for the social club establishment is anticipated to be in the region of R100,000 to R150,000. Startup capital is needed torealise the club’s operations, as the founders of this NPC are pensioners, some are disabled, a few others earn in the region of R6,500 per month each, and many are unemployed.
Even with a group of 20 founders, this equates to R5,000 to R7,500 each, which is simply prohibitive bearing in mind that many of these individuals are reliant on pensions or are presently unemployed.
Funding is required to assist the club with costs to establish the NPC, registration, rental deposits, subscription fees (possibly GOA), and asset purchases. This funding would need to be in the form of grants or donations.
This community has traditionally been growing cannabis and will continue to do so, but there is a strong desire from within the community to formalise operations, create jobs, and achieve food security within their community.”
For more details contact : SL Simmers on 084-899-6115
#
