While thousands of South African citizens continue to be arrested daily for cannabis possession, a multi-million dollar deal has been struck with a Canadian company to legally produce cannabis in SA. All while under the protection of Government and State security muscle.

Over the course of 2017 we extensively covered numerous developments surrounding the secret legal cannabis farm operating in the Dube Agrizone in KwaZulu Natal. What had started as a rumour among local activists turned out to be a truth stranger than fiction when we were able to confirm that not only was the facility in fact growing the strictly illegal plant, but that it had also sold the majority shareholding in the project to a Canadian partner and to those who have been alleged to be heavily involved with the vast plague of State corruption associated with president Jacob Zuma.

What has come as a new revelation though is that this grow facility is being treated as a key point and is now under government mandated security. You may recall how key points were a contentious issue when Jacob Zuma and the ANC used this apartheid relic of a law in an attempt to cover up the dumpster fire that was Nkandla, justifying the hundreds of millions of tax Rands squandered on the president’s private home as necessary for his personal safety. The Nkandla scandal was however concluded, sort of, despite government’s embarrassing best efforts to indefensibly justify the vast expense of what eventually became a symbol for the cancer of corruption capturing the country.

In a recent online interview, John McMullen of LGC Capital confirmed that “Security is being provided by the government. The national key point security guard will oversee, watch and secure the entire facility.” among other claims that they would be producing between 7 and 19 tons of medical cannabis products per year to be sold locally.

What this boils down to is that there are now questionable international deals to grow tons of high grade cannabis while receiving state sponsored security, the profits of which will likely find its way into the pockets of a few politically connected and foreign investors. Which in my mind creates a bit of a paradox. The costs of prohibition are shouldered by us. Cops, prisons and orange overalls are all paid for by the tax payer, but we are now also footing the security bill for those who are set to make billions from these ‘legal’ cannabis farms, while the other 99.9999% of us continue to be persecuted for possessing so little as a single gram of the stuff.

Despite this deal receiving much attention it remains to be seen how it will be more than another attempt to pilfer African resources for the benefit of a handful of interests. The words of a source close to these shenanigans now rings clearer than when I first heard them nearly a year ago. “It’s none of your fucking business!” is perhaps the truest thing I’ve heard about any of this.

Clearly this is meant to be none of your, my or anyone else’s business, economic freedom or human rights. So long as we continue to know our role as mere second class citizens who are only good for paying for our own cages while a handful soar freely on stolen wings.