Prince Report Back: Thousands Face SAPS Victimization While High Court Dithers Over April’s Urgent Application to Halt Cannabis Arrests
Gareth Prince’s urgent application to halt cannabis arrests has become enmeshed by the slow wheels of justice. While the legal activist says he’ll use the delay to bolster his case, he warns that ‘illegal’ cannabis arrests will continue until the next court date of 31 July. This is Prince’s report back to Cannabiz Africa.
Prince Urgent Application to Halt Cannabis Arrests Delayed on Procedural Grounds
Gareth Prince’s urgent High Court application to halt cannabis arrests has been delayed on procedural grounds and will only be heard again on 31 July 2026. The Western Cape Judge President acknowledged the urgency of the action, but said no space could be found on the court role for six weeks.
ICS 2026 to Challenge the American and European Muscle Power in Determining the Rules of the Regulatory Game for Everybody Else
International cannabis thought leaders from across the world are to descend on Cape Town at the end of the month for ICS 2026. Organizer Sean Hocking tells Cannabiz Africa that the Back to Basics theme is aimed at breaking North American and European dominance in determining the world’s cannabis regulatory systems.
CTAA Launches Portal to Link Cannabis Growers and Retailers to Open up the Market for Marginalized Communities
The Cannabis Trade Association of Africa (CTAA) has launched a compliance platform that provides a route to market for legacy cannabis growers. It’s new portal aims to link growers to retailers in a framework that ticks all government’s compliance boxes and provides a market for landraces.
Looking Ahead, Zimbabwe and Zambia Are Africa’s Best Bets for Becoming Hemp Powerhouses
Zimbabwe and Zambia are best-placed African countries for ramped-up hemp production because they have plenty of available land and water. Zimbabwe has the edge because of it has an international distribution hub. That’s the view of Cobasa founder and chairperson Henri de Villeneuve, speaking at the Cheeba Summit.
Katerere Calls for an African-GMP Certification to Unlock African Cannabis Self-Reliance
The cannabis ‘gold standard’ is EU-GMP certification, an expensive exercise vital to get a foothold into Europe. However, this is beyond reach of most African producers, TUT’s Prof David Katerere told the Cheeba Summit, and proposed an African-GMP certification as a foundation for the continent’s cannabis industry.
Slip Sliding Away, Govt Doesn’t Miss the Opportunity to Miss the Opportunity – Again
South Africa did not need to reinvent cannabis commercialisation from scratch. It could have adapted proven licensing models, opened a lawful market quickly and built from there. Instead, delay, complexity and weak implementation have left the country watching a major industry slip through its fingers.
Law Firm CDH: Justice Dept Has it Wrong! Private Clubs Are Not Illegal!
Leading South African law firm CDH has challenged the Department of Justice’s view that private cannabis clubs are illegal and contravene the Cannabis Act. Not so, says CDH. There has been no legal declaration that clubs are illegal, and actually, a careful reading of the Act shows they are within prescribed guidelines.
Prince: Sort Out Regulatory Confusion and Develop an African Model for the Value Chain
The key conundrum in the cannabis industry is that South Africans can legally use and possess cannabis privately but it is illegal to buy it. Until government sorts out this contradiction, there will be no meaningful cannabis reform. That was Farmers Weekly’s take-out of Gareth Prince’s keynote address at the recent Cheeba Summit.
Stellenbosch University Declares Campus a ‘Cannabis-Free Zone’ and Warns That Dealing is a Threat to Students’ Wellbeing
Stellenbosch University has effectively declared itself a cannabis-free zone, specifying that residence rooms are ‘public’ places in terms of the draft Cannabis Act regulations. Any student caught dealing will be considered a threat to public order.