Regulatory Apathy Limits Cannabis Growth In SA

The wheels for the legalisation of commercial cannabis production in South Africa were set in motion in 2018. More recently, this campaign gained further momentum when the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development released the Draft Cannabis Master Plan. Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, chairperson of the Fair-Trade Independent Cannabis Association, spoke to Pieter Dempsey about the challenges that remain.

- Pieter Dempsey

Please would you provide some background about yourself and your role at the FairTrade Independent Cannabis Association?

I graduated with an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2010 and was admitted as an attorney of the High Court in March 2013. I opened my own law firm in 2015, before being approached to become a partner at a firm based in Sandton in January 2016.

I’m the chairperson of the Fair-Trade Independent Cannabis Association (FICA), a cannabis industry lobby group that seeks to reinvigorate the South African economy via the cannabis industry and create a working and beneficial relationship between all cannabis industry stakeholders.

I also serve on the AgriSETA tobacco subsector committee, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs and Excise Tobacco Industry Forum, and the SARS National Customs and Excise Stakeholder Forum.

When was FICA formed and what is its purpose?

FICA was established in May 2021 to provide the commercial South African cannabis industry with a representative body to ensure that its interests were represented in a professional and coordinated way at every level.

FICA also has a crucial role to play in shaping the legal and regulatory framework for South Africa’s emerging cannabis industry and provides its members with a platform to promote their businesses through engaging with industry stakeholders.

How has the legal and regulatory environment around cannabis production, use, and trade evolved?