Three provincial premiers have delivered their SOPAs (State of Province Address) in the last week and there was not one mention of hemp or medicinal cannabis. The Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Free State did not present any vision or outline for cannabis development despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s SONA statement that ‘We want South Africa to be leading in the commercial production of hemp and cannabis’.

Well that message didn’t trickle down to the provinces where cannabis was missing in action. The SOPAs are meant to be regionalized enactments of the priorities sketched out in SONA, yet there was no word on the Presidency’s bold plans to create industrial cannabis hubs in each province as part of his job creation vision.

The silence from the Eastern Cape is most surprising as it is the traditional heartland of cannabis growing, the provincial government is actually doing something and cannabis is an issue that is close to Premier Oscar Mbuyane’ heart. As recently as November last year he was accusing central government of being 'missing in action' over policy delays.

No official reason has been put forward for the omission of cannabis in the Eastern Cape SOPA so the reasons are unclear as to why the Premier made no mention of :

• the Coega Cannabis Hub SEZ;

• the R4 million rand his departments have committed to the partnership with Medigrow which has pledged R1 billion to the scheme;

• plans to include 30 000 small-scale farmers into an industrial cannabs network that would boost the provincial coffers by over R6 billion in five years.

This is all the more surprising in that the province’s Agriculture Department, with great fanfare, started distributing Medigrow’s hemp seeds to small-scale farmers barely two weeks ago. One would have thought this was good ammo for a SOPA highlighting public and private sector partnerships.

Could the reason be in the rumblings of discontent coming from deep in Mpondoland? Many traditional legacy growers are becoming more vocal against plans to distribute hemp seeds in a region famed for its landraces.

A Cannabiz Africa source points to the fact that the Mpondoland Cannabis Belt Farmers have gone public with the slogan “no hemp in Mpondoland” may have had something to do with the SOPA cannabis omission.

“I think the Premier decided not highlight cannabis in his SOPA as it might have caused further division in Mpondoland where there is already trouble brewing between farmers who want to plant hemp and those who see it as a threat to their landraces. He probably thought it best to keep quiet about this whole issue for the time being”.

Gauteng is a different story. African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) national committee member

Katelga Kgopotse cannot understand why cannabis was not a feature of Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s maiden SOPA and expressed his disappointment in the lack of cannabis leadership in Gauteng.

Food for Msanzi reported on 21 February 2025 that Kgopotse’s exclamation was: “It was SOPA. He was supposed to touch on all sectors in detail. For example, in my sector (agriculture), cannabis and hemp industrialization in the province.”

He said he was disappointed that Lesufi didn’t highlight a way forward on cannabis and hemp industrialization like former premiers David Makhura and Agriculture MEC Parks Tau did in promoting skills development and innovation in the sector.

“He didn’t mention that cannabis growers are still harassed by the police officers who are not capacitated by the cannabis master plan and private bill that allows cannabis social clubs to operate” said Kgopotse.

One stakeholder, who wanted to remain anonymous said: “It’s no wonder cannabis wasn’t mentioned in the SOPA. The provincial track record is in a mess. Remember Makhura announced back in 2022 there was going to be a R45 billion investment in a cannabis hub in the Vaal Triangle. That was three years ago. Today there is nothing there. Why? Because the first few investors who expressed interest all pulled out because they weren’t prepared to pay bribes.

"That’s the problem with Government at all levels, it’s like an extraction machine where nothing moves forward because everyone wants their piece.

"I don’t know how you stop it. Maybe create a new Section 9 chapter institution (Editors note: Section 9 of the South African constitution upholds the independence of entities such as the Public Protector), like Malawi has done with its Central Cannabis Authority, a body that would be in charge of rules, licensing and all that”.

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