The Lusikisiki Agreement between legacy growers and government agencies has fallen apart before the proverbial ink has dried. Mpondoland farmers have accused Government of breaking its word that no hemp would be introduced into the area without consultation and intends mobilizing local communities to resist Medigrow’s plans to distribute hemp seeds in the area.
Barely weeks after signing the landmark Lusikisiki Agreement, the Mpondoland Cannabis Belt Association (MCBA) has accused the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) of bad faith. It says the ERCDA reneged on its promise not to introduce hemp seeds into the area without community consultation.
'Imported Seeds Threaten Local Landraces
It has also accused the provincial government and Medigrow of trying to force legacy farmers to grow hemp against their will, saying the imported seeds threatened local landraces.
The issue at hand is that low-THC industrial cannabis varietals, such as the seeds supplied by Medigrow, threaten high-THC landraces grown by legacy farmers through cross-pollination. It is accepted conventional wisdom that hemp and high THC varietals should be planted in different geographical areas to avoid cross-pollination compromising THC levels.
Medigrow’s plan to distribute hemp seeds (with THC levels supposedly of below the guidelines of 0,2%) to 30 000 small-scale farmers in the South Africa’s landrace heartland has understandably sparked concern among farmers in the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo Districts, who for generations have relied on the efficacy of ‘Transkei’ landraces (which have an average THC level of 12% to 15%) for their economic survival.
Medigrow has pledged over R100 million to the project which is centred around the Coega Special Economic Zone where it will grow high-THC cannabis for export and process low-THC cannabis from the surrounding communities.
'There Shall Be No Hemp in Mpondoland"
MCBA spokesperson Dlamini said flatly in a press release on 11 February 2025: “We issue this statement as a clear warning that here shall be no hemp in Mpondoland”.
The tension has been bubbling under for some time. Legacy growers, who are supposedly at the heart of government’s cannabis reform initiative, have been increasingly marginalized over the past few years and their voices ignored by legislators despite repeated presentations to Parliament.
Now there is revolutionary talk in the rolling hills of Mpondoland with legacy growers banding together to once again fight officialdom. This time it’s not against the apartheid government but against the new democratic regime.
Spokesman Malombo Dlamini said on 11 February 2025: “We issue this statement as a clear warning that here shall be no hemp in Mpondoland . We demand that the government respect our rights as traditional cannabis farmers, supports the development of our indigenous strains , and puts an end to the corrupt partnerships that do not serve the interests of our people”
“For generations we have been the custodians of our indigenous cannabis strain, a legacy that has withstood the brutal oppression of the apartheid government. Many of our ancestors were attacked, their fields destroyed with harmful chemicals, and some were even killed for protecting their land and crops. Today we are witnessing a new form of oppression, this time from our own black government which seeks to impose hemp on our land against our will.”
ECRDA Accused of Reneging on the Lusikisiki Agreement
Dlamini says the MCBA formally wrote to the ECRDA to seek clarity on the issue on 6 February 2025: “We made multiple follow-up calls , yet our concerns were ignored. It is now evident that our own government is intentionally provoking conflict among Pondo growers”
Dlamini said that “during the signing of our MoU (the Lusikisiki Agreement), Dr Blow (sic – referencing Dr Sunshine Blauw of the ECRDA) made it clear that no hemp shall be planted in Mpondoland until proper zoning is conducted.
“Despite this agreement, ECRDA, the deputy minister of Agriculture and Medigrow have gone ahead and distributed hemp seeds to farmers without community consultation or consent”.
He said MCBA members intended to meet the initial 28 farmers selected by Medigrow to receive hemp seeds “to address this serious violation of our rights”. The meeting is scheduled soon at the Winnie Madikizela Municipality, raising fears of a possible confrontation.
“It is clear that powerful individuals, including government ministers, are colluding with private companies such as Medigrow to push hemp onto our land for their benefit. This is not development, this is exploitation. The people of Mpondoland will not tolerate this” said Dlamini.
“We call on all Mpondoland farmers and supporters of land and seed sovereignty to stand with us. Our fight is not just for today, it is for future generations who deserve the. Inherit the land and crops of their ancestors, free from outside interference”.
Prince: Medigrow initiative is a "continutation of apartheid cannabis mentality"
Public resistance to Medigrow’s plans were first raised by the chair of the SA Cannabis Development Council (SACDC), Gareth Prince, who said the Medigrow initiative was a “continuation of apartheid cannabis mentality”.
Speaking to eNCA on 30 January 2025, Prince said current cannabis reform appeared to be designed to reward the rich at the expense of indigenous communities who had a long tradition of cannabis culture. He said local knowledge and landraces were being overlooked because importing raw materials was built into the system
“Previously disadvantaged communities are excluded from obtaining cannabis licenses and growing hemp because in reality you have to import these seeds and those costs are prohibitive.
“They are forcing us to import seeds for medical cannabis and forcing us to import seeds for hemp. The sad thing is that no environmental impact assessment has been done in order to ascertain what is the impact on local cannabis strains and that is not advancement that is recklessness”.