The Presidency made much fanfare of last June’s The Phakisa Cannabis and Hemp Action Lab which pulled together a comprehensive cross-section of non-government stakeholders to get their input on cannabis policy. After the workshops, the Presidency announced that it was pursuing a ‘whole plant’ approach to cannabis reform and laid out the structures for engagement going forward.

It said a steering committee (Steerco) would be set up and chaired by the Presidency and would . The Phakisa’s Final Report said that  “The Steerco is representative of the social partners securing sufficient consensus for a programme of action and the institutional arrangements with incremental reciprocal, appropriate and detailed commitments from the private sector.”

Steerco was to look at three main areas of action: regulatory change, science and innovation and business development.

It's now become apparent that the Presidency went ahead and set up Steerco after the Phakisa but did not communicate who was appointed nor why they were appointed.  Their identities only came to light after Fields of Green for All (FGFA) published their names this week.

Steerco held its first meeting on 13 September 2023 and provided no feedback on the agenda or the discussions to the cannabis community.

The Committee is:

Chairperson

Somebody representing the Presidency

Traditional leaders
HRH Zolani Mkiva; Chief Lungelo Nokwaza

Rastafari
Dr. Thandeka Kunene; Ras Gareth Prince

Traditional Healers

Gogo Tiisetso Makhoba- Lengosane; Rosalyn Malyo

Farmers
Nomathamsanqa Thami Madliwa ; Prof. Motlalepule Matshabisa

Business
Ayanda Bam; Theo Boshoff

Labour
Tony Ehrenreich; Tengo Tengela

Community

Thembinkosi Josopu; Nhlanhla Ndlovu

.

Earlier this year, Cannabiz Africa asked whether The Phakisa initiative had run out of steam? It hadn't. On the contrary, there have been discussions by the above parties behind closed doors and at least two private law firms have confidentially been used by the Presidency to assist with legal work.

Cannabiz Africa understands there was a follow-up meeting consisting of some Steerco members on 8 October 2024, but has not been able to verify this.

The lack of transparency around the meetings has raised the ire of many other stakeholders, most notably from activist organization Fields of Green for All (FGFA).

FGFA has written to Steerco (read the letter here), on behalf of affiliate members, demanding feedback.

Signed by the directors, it concluded: “Following the lack of communication, as undertaken in the above correspondence, we request clarification on progress made over the last year. We have a responsibility to our constituency, and we have nothing to report in terms of concrete progress towards a sustainable sector. As a responsible civil society organisation of long standing, we are here to hold our government and their appointed committees to account.”

FGFA director Myrtle Clark said in a post on 23 October 2024 that “The outcome document from the Phakisa was never made public and there is not much we can do about that BUT, we CAN demand transparency from a committee that promised transparency from the outset.”

The cannabis business community has been notably silent in public on these developments but several stakeholders have voiced their concern in private.

One businessman, commenting off the record, voiced his frustration:

“Who picked this committee? What’s Cosatu doing there (Ehrenreich is a Cosatu leader)? Where’s business? Ayanda (Bam) and Theo (Botha) have been appointed as business representatives? I mean seriously? No doubt they are good guys but they’re consultants, they represent Nedlac and Agbiz, not real business interests. It makes me uneasy that the whole thing has been billed as a partnership between the private sector and government, but actually, where is the private sector in all of this?”

Another cannabis entrepreneur,who wanted to remain anonymous, told Cannabiz Africa:

“What you tell me is the first time I’ve heard about these meetings. What are they talking about, and why aren’t they telling us? Who is representing those of us who have invested millions in the industry?  We have skin in the game and no place at the table. It’s worrying.  Nobody really knows what’s going on and there’s a lot at stake.

“Call me cynical, but at first glance it looks like a whole bunch of guys are getting in first to secure their own interests instead of what they should be doing – representing all cannabis stakeholders.”

Cannabiz Africa will publish any response from Steerco or the Presidency as soon as it becomes available.

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