Cannabis outperforms hemp with no human intervention

SAFM Podcast: Should South Africa legalise Cannabis?

Listen to the SAFM podcast click here:

HEMP SEMINAR ON TRANSFER OF HEMP TO COMMERCIAL REALITY

A report on Hemp Seminar, titled: Challenges on transfer of hemp (Cannabis sativa) from agricultural feasibility to commercial reality, by Monde Sotana, Rural Development Centre (RDC) training coordinator at Fort Cox College of Agriculture & Forestry on the 6 September 2013.

The proceedings of the occasion were led by Ms Vuvu Ngcofe, the manager for public relations and marketing who was representing the college in the hemp project. The seminar was held at the RDC main hall which is situated at the old college section of the main college. It was well attended as the hall was full. It was attended by: RDC manager Mr Cebani who open the proceedings, the college students who are completing a national diploma in agriculture at National Qualification Framework (NQF) Level 6, the out of school youth National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) that are sponsored by Department of Rural Development & Land Reform (DRDLR). Students were excited and interacted so well with the panel and general audience.

Mr Monde Sotana is a hemp project manager for Eastern Cape Hemp Pilot Project Initiative (ECHPPI) that was launched on the 6 August 1999 by Mr Max Mamase who was the provincial minister of Agriculture in 1997 till 2005. The project was divided into two phases: Phase 1 period (1999 till 2005) where agricultural test was done to determine the suitability of hemp for fibre and oil production. Mr Sotana was the researcher on the project since its establishment, hence now we are celebrating 14 years of the hemp industry by holding this seminar.

Mr Sotana has worked with other pioneers in hemp industry and this includes the likes of Dr Sunshine Blouw of Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Deon Joubert of Agricultural Research Council – Institute for Industrial Crops (ARC-IIC) and Dr Thandeka Kunene the CEO of House of Hemp (HoH). The tour was given on the origins and challenges of the hemp industry for the past 14 years of its existence.

The hemp experts can easily differentiate between hemp and marijuana or dagga. The hemp was tested at farmers land in Mthiza near East London, Qamata, Libode, Qumbu, Mbizana, and Maluti. It was also done at research stations like Dohne, Addo, Fort Cox College of Agriculture & Forestry, University of Fort Hare, and Tsolo. A total of 11 experiments were conducted. A hemp production guideline for farmers written by Mr Sotana and others was published in 2005. It is available on request from Dohne Agricultural Development Institute in Stutterheim tel. 043-683 1240 and at ARC-IIC in Rustenburg. He outlined that hemp is grown under licence valid for 12 months. The hemp market is about R400 million, hence the proposal to establish a factory of that amount in the province was made and supported by Department of Trade & Industry (DTI).

Mr Sotana exhibited products made from hemp: (west coat, bag, socks, tissue oil, cream and jeans). The president of the Eastern Cape hemp farmers called Indalo Oils & Fibre Industries Secondary Cooperative Mr Ziphilele Matinise and his secretary Ms Thami Madliwa were giving incisive inputs on the hemp industry establishment. The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders (ECHTL) was represented by Chief David Gayika and Mrs Gayika. Mr Matinise was happy that the ECHTL was here together with the farmers so that we can all try influence towards enabling legislation. The current laws still regard hemp as illegal and as farmers we need special permission to grow it from national Department of Health (DoH).

Mr Gys Vermeulen, the head of academic at the college encouraged the hemp industry to think out of the box. He stressed the need for strengthening the purpose of agricultural colleges that straddle between Higher Education (HE) and Further Education & Training (FET) as there are now going to be called Agricultural Training Institutes (ATI’s). Fort Cox College needs to find its niche area of expertise, in that case, it could be hemp. Grootfontein Agricultural College is known for small stock. Cedara Agricultural College is known for dairy cattle. It is important for the college to diversify, we can get into other niche areas like organic production, job creation, entrepreneurs, value chain addition within the farm setting is taking place.

The way-forward:

1. The co-ordination of private sector, public, government agencies, farmers, in a systematic and productive way. Action: Mr Sotana’s office.
2. Establish three hemp shops in E.C. province at the college and two other areas. Start with Market outlet at college, as a point of departure, then start a hemp factory. Agro-processing activities to be undertaken. Action: Mr painter
3. The hemp conference at the college once a year every August.
4. Awareness campaign to be led by Ms Ngcofe.
5. Appropriate action plan to be drawn.
6. Registration and access to permit and Licencing arrangement.
7. Seeds multiplication led by ARC-IIC, farmers and HoH.
8. Re-structure hemp into Hemp-Eastern Cape at provincial and local affiliation.
9. Next meeting will be held on the 26 September 2013 at 10h00 at RDC at Fort Cox College of Agriculture & Forestry.

- Fort Cox College

R15m hemp project goes to seed

A MULTIMILLION-rand project launched 14 years ago for South Africa to grow and produce hemp has virtually stalled because of legal glitches, says the government.

Ayabulela Ngoqo, the Eastern Cape’s Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Department spokesman, said the project, launched in 1999, had focused on job creation, but in 2006 had come to a halt. Equipment meant to have been used in hemp processing remained in storage.

“The challenge is the legislation,” Ngoqo told the Cape Times.

Hemp, grown in other countries as a fibre and oil seed crop, belongs to the same family as dagga, and in South Africa dagga is illegal.

A 2011 a Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries document on hemp said the Drugs and Trafficking Act prevented the possession, processing and commercialisation of hemp.

It said the Medicines and Related Substances Act “allows possession and cultivation of hemp for research purposes only”.

The 2011 document said: “The European Union and many South African companies are planning a R25 million five-year project to boost hemp cultivation in South Africa.”

It said the government, with the private sector, was “trying to sort out the hemp legislation” so it could be commercialised.

Despite 14 years having lapsed since the national hemp project’s launch, the envisioned hemp project remains in the research phase.

The national hemp project, linked to various government departments, had an agriculture and commercial aspect.

While the agriculture aspect appears to have ground to a halt, the commercial side continues.

In a speech 12 years ago, then-arts and culture minister Ben Ngubane said the Western Cape was among the best areas in South Africa for growing hemp.

He had said the national project was aimed “at reducing poverty through… the cultivation, processing, manufacturing and marketing of South African hemp”.

“South Africa now boasts a burgeoning hemp industry, with the promise of thousands of jobs, economic empowerment for our previously disadvantaged communities and the stimulation of the small business sector,” Ngubane had said.

But last week, Ngoqo said this was not the case.

He said R15 million was initially invested in the project and research done on where hemp could be grown. “More than anything, we hoped to get jobs out of it… It was aimed at emerging farmers.”

Aside from legislation, Ngoqo said hemp seeds had not been available locally and needed to be imported from Hungary, which was “very expensive”.

He said the department had been ready with equipment, funds and experts to help farmers, but in 2006 the agriculture aspect of the project was halted.

Ngoqo said some of the R15m investment was used for research, and some had been spent on buying oil-pressing machines. The department had kept the balance for when it could use it on the project.

When the project’s agricultural side collapsed, the commercial part of the project was focused on.

In 2001, House of Hemp, a company that sold hemp products, was founded by Thandeka Kunene and launched by Ngubane.

Three years ago, Kunene was tasked with co-ordinating the commercial aspect of the hemp project. She did not respond to queries by yesterday.

Tony Budden, a partner with Duncan Parker in the Hemp company Hemporium, said that with Kunene, it was involved in a three-year “commercial incubation research trial”.

He said that about two years ago, the Health Department issued permits for commercial hemp research which enabled them to grow hemp in four areas – three in the Eastern Cape and one, near Wellington, in the Western Cape.

Through the company, Rapula Farming, five types of hemp had been grown on a two-hectare plot near Wellington. Budden said it was hoped another commercial research permit would be issued this year for more hemp, this time one type, to be grown in the province.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

- Cape Times

Hemp in South Africa - 567 Cape Talk Calls Government

Click image for how to build a Cannabrick home

Click to Hear ~ Hemp in South Africa - 567 Cape Talk Calls Government

State environmental body to be shut

The dissolution of the state's environment body Indalo Yethu Trust is on the cards, the environmental affairs department said on Thursday.

"After careful consideration, the department of environmental affairs has decided to enter into negotiations with the Indalo Yethu Trust to discuss its dissolution," the department said in a statement.

This followed a review of the organisation's viability.

Indalo Yethu was established in 2006 by government and the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (Wessa) to develop and implement a national environmental awareness campaign.

It was to serve as an endorsement brand, conduct a communication and outreach campaign, and generate the income needed to enable its running.

But a review found that the cost of compliance with statutory requirements and its operational expenses could not be supported from the funds allocated to it.

Indalo Yethu was expected to generate sufficient income to fund its operations within two years of its founding.

"As it was never the intention of the department to fund the operations of Indalo Yethu in perpetuity; it was decided to discuss the possible dissolution of the trust with its trustees."

The department would formally withdraw its funding from the trust, following Wessa's withdrawal, even if the trustees did not agree to the move.

"The department believes that the dissolution of the trust should not hamper the objectives for which the trust was set up. Similar work is already being done by the department and its partners and these might be expanded on in the future."

- timeslive

SA's economy cleans up with green jobs for greenhorns

As SA focuses on pro-poor growth and job creation, tens of thousands of new posts in the booming green economy are being filled by young job-seekers.

Trumpeting the job creation successes of her department’s green sector projects at a World Environment Day function in the Free State on Tuesday, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said South Africa welcomed the worldwide shift towards green economies, since the country was endowed with a wealth of biodiversity. 

This gives the country a competitive edge, she told the function, which was held under the banner of the global theme for this year: “Green Economy: Does It Include You?”

Tens of thousands of green jobs have already been created, but the potential for even more job opportunities was huge, Molewa said, adding that her department had started several projects around the country to bring investment to rural areas, which would otherwise hold no promise for growth. 

And the government’s budget of R7.7-billion for environmental programmes is just the tip of the iceberg, she said.

Green job opportunities

As many as 27,000 new job opportunities had been created in the last financial year, with 10,400 being full-time.

The R800-million boost for the Green Fund that the treasury recently announced should allow for the creation of a further 63 000 jobs in this financial year, she said. To aid this, green hubs were being created around the country to ensure decentralised growth where it was most needed.

This is in line with the Green Economy Accord, which the government recently entered.

Lagging water infrastructure is holding Africa back

  This seeks to create 300,000 jobs in the green economy by 2020, she said. With a dearth of skilled workers, there would have to be a huge focus on education and formal training at higher learning institutions, she said.

“Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare themselves today,” she said.

Complementing the economy

Christelle Terreblanche, of South Africa’s national environmental agency Indalo Yethu, said the department’s plans were a chance to “ensure there is no conflict between economic and environmental health”. 

Rather than economic development happening to the detriment of the environment, they could be complementary, she said.

Indalo Yethu has created 3,000 job opportunities in ten rural towns by restoring the urban environment and getting rid of harmful waste, she said. 

Nick Nuttall, spokesperson for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recently said that a small investment into adaptation and the green economy would save on the huge costs of managing the fallout in the future. By making green growth a solid basis of their economic development, countries could create jobs as well as sustaining their future, he said.

A recent report by UNEP, Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, argued that an investment of 2% of global GDP in innovative technology and policies now would “keep humanity’s footprint within planetary boundaries”.

‘Paradigm shift’

Without this, organisations like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have warned that humanity’s footprint could be the equivalent of three planets by 2050.    

The UN’s secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said this year’s theme “underscores the need for everyone to play their part in keeping humankind’s ecological footprint within planetary boundaries”. 

This requires a “paradigm shift towards a more sustainable world”, he said. 

UNEP defines the Green Economy as one that results in “improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcity. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.”

- M&G

Africa: Natural Fibres Key to Environment and Tackling Poverty

"The natural fibres sector has great potential to become an engine of growth," Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith

Experts from 21 Commonwealth countries heard how natural fibre production is necessary in tackling poverty and preventing environmental degradation, at the Global Natural Fibre Forum (GNFF) in Africa earlier this month.

Speaking at the symposium held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, from 7 to 9 March 2012, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith said: "It is essential to advocate the shift from synthetic towards using natural fibres due to their significant role in environment protection and sustainable development.

"Looking into Africa, the majority of people live in the rural areas and are dependent on agriculture, which incidentally produces almost all natural fibres harvested in the developing world."

The Commonwealth Secretariat hosted the meeting in partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of South Africa and other private sector partners.

This regional gathering is the first to address challenges facing producers and processors of natural fibres, which directly supports the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.

Natural fibres better support sustainable production and consumption and are crucial to environmental sustainability and a lighter carbon footprint. For thousands of years people all over the world have used fibres from plants and animals to make cloth, string, paper, and to strengthen building materials. But with the increasing use of synthetic fibres since the 1960's, natural fibres farmers and small producers have lost significant market share. According to the GNFF, roughly 30 million tonnes of natural fibres are produced annually worldwide.

It brought together fibre producers, processors, researchers and scientists and industry representatives to explore possibilities of working together.

Live demonstrations included fibre extraction and fibre conversion and its application to different industries such as packaging, biofuels, bio composites, construction, handicraft, foods, cosmetics, health and textiles industries.

"We believe that the fibres sector has great potential to become an engine of growth and given the right support through capacity-building and product development programmes, it can drive rural industrialisation," Mr Smith said.

A number of experts made presentations at the seminar on how small producers and farmers could increase their income through natural fibres.

Chairperson of the South African Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Lulu Johnson, Chairperson of House of Hemp Dr Mamphela Ramphele and Dr Thulane Dlamini from the CSIR addressed delegates.

GNFF Regional Consultant Dr Thandeka R Kunene presented research findings on types of natural fibres, their current and potential uses and proposed intervention programmes that could help producers to increase their production of natural fibres.

Experts also highlighted the importance of creating value at each level of the production process including: farming, extraction, processing, waste use, product manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

The fibres discussed included hemp, kenaf, sisal, banana, grass, bamboo, coir, wool, mohair, silk, cashmere and cotton.

Several key results were achieved including the formation of support teams toaddress areas such as training and product development. The African chapter ofthe GNFF was also launched at the event and Tanzania has been tasked withco-ordinating the GNFF Secretariat.

The GNFF is a worldwide network that collects and distributes information around the use and economic value of natural fibres and how these can be used as a critical source for small and medium sized enterprises, farmers and poorrural communities to uplift their livelihoods.

Participants at the March forum were drawn from: Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Experts also came from Canada, India and the United Kingdom.

Innovate Eastern Cape, House of Hemp, OCTAGON Marketing, Expo Solutions and NEPAD were among the private sector partners involved.

- allAfrica

Gov Funds██ █ ████ ███ Cannabis (sic ████) research

The South African government will ██ █ ████ ███ █████ ████ ████ today.

01/11/1995 ████ ███ Others ARC – Rustenberg Tobacco & Cotton Research Institute Published Research Response of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) varieties to conditions in Northwest Province, South Africa Cost: ████ ███

13/09/1998 SAHC ████ ███heim Agriculture, CSIR, ARC Cost: R25 Million Tobacco & Cotton Research Institute ████

22/06/2000 Max Mamase Minister Agriculture EC ████ ███ corruption ████ ███ farmers in the province to be granted a special license by year's end that would allow them to grow hemp commercially. Cost: ████████

10/05/2001 HOH HPA ████ ███ DR BEN NGUBANE Minister DASCT CSIR House of Hemp SA (Ltd) launches its first retail outlet in Gandhi Square, Johannesburg Key stakeholders in the national hemp project include various government departments (DACST, Agriculture, Health, Trade & Industry, Environmental Affairs & Tourism); provincial and national research institutions (CSIR, ARC-IIC, MRC); private sector (Hooked on Hemp, SAHC); development agencies (ECSECC, CIMEC); rural communities (Qamata, Libode, Mtiza, Idutywa, Maluti) and tertiary institutions (████, ████, ████, ████, ████), amongst others. Cost: ████ ███

08/03/2002 ████ ███ Dr Joubert ARC-IIC NW Province Institute for Industrial Crops ████████

23/09/2005 Sunshine ████ ███, ████ ███ ARC-IIC, CSIR Dhone Agricultural Development Institute Published Research Performance of four European hemp cultivars cultivated under different agronomic experimental conditions in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Cost: ████ ███

03/03/2008 Sunshine ████ ███ CSIR Cost: multi-billion-rand ████████ ███ THE Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is piloting a multi-billion-rand agri-business project that could encourage Eastern Cape farmers to grow hemp and flax for the textile industry.

31/03/2008 ████-███ ████ Former Advisor Agriculture Cost: R65 Million ████ ███ ARC, Agriculture, Health

19/10/2009 ████ ███ Minister Social Development R20 Million Judging by the long list of government departments and agencies involved in this project, Launch of The Hemp Project, Maponya Mall, Soweto DBSA, CSIR, ARC, Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Department of Trade and Industry.

14/10/2010 Sunshine ████ ███ CSIR Cost: multi-billion-rand Pictures

01/01/2010 - 31/12/2013 ███ 4 licenses ███████████ 10/10/2012 Click to Hear ~ Hemp in South Africa - 567 Cape Talk Calls Government█████████████████ ███████████████ ██████████

Bid to tap into bamboo

SA’s underdeveloped Eastern Cape province is hoping to add bamboo to its agricultural mix, allowing it to tap into a US$7bn international bamboo industry.

The Eastern Cape Development Corp (ECDC) and the Industrial Development Corp (IDC) have been exploring opportunities in the industry — which has been introduced successfully in a number of developing countries — and last week held a two-day symposium and exhibition in East London.

Each of the development agencies has invested about R1m in exploratory work and the IDC will soon finalise a study to identify opportunities for the role of bamboo in rural economic development , says senior project manager Bertie Strydom.

ECDC regional head Ken Bern says the bamboo project is one step in a bid to grow a number of diverse industries in the countryside with the aim of securing the participation of rural communities and bringing them, through these products, into the mainstream economy.

In the Eastern Cape, bamboo may be grown together with crops such as pineapples, hemp or flax — crops which are being promoted in an attempt to rebuild the province’s agriculture sector.

“Bamboo as an emerging crop in Africa is already turning fortunes around in countries such as Ethiopia, where leather and sugar are also contributing to rising wealth,” says Bern.

Louis de Lange, a founder of Gaia Carbon Sciences, says bamboo is a versatile non invasive crop that can help develop the agricultural sector without threatening the environment.

“It can be used in a number of applications, including renewable energy. It is fast-growing and can build large biomass stock.”

Bhargavi Motukuri, from India, introduced the symposium to the work of the International Network for Bamboo & Rattan. Established by a UN treaty, this 37-member intergovernmental body promotes global trade in the crop with the aim of helping the poor communities which grow it.

“Unlike trees, where planting to harvest takes years or even decades, bamboo provides steady income for farmers on a monthly or even weekly basis.

“It can be cut and transported by a single person, splits linearly and can be processed by hand with a knife. ”

The crop has a wide variety of uses, including construction, making all types of furniture, fittings such as window blinds, fencing, flooring, arts and crafts and charcoal production.

It is a viable alternative for all types of housing, with the costs of bamboo dwellings comparing very favourably to conventional construction.

A notable advantage of bamboo is that it can replace the use of trees as a source of wood, with environmental benefits.

In addition, it can be grown in marginal soils, uses groundwater efficiently and thrives even in drought conditions. It is a multibillion-dollar industry in China, India and Brazil.

China leads world exports with 46% of the total, followed by Indonesia with 16%.

And though studies have been carried out primarily with the Eastern Cape in mind, they have revealed that two other provinces might have even greater potential for bamboo cultivation.

Hamman Oosthuizen of Optimal Agriculture Business Systems, the lead consultants in the project, says only about 10% of SA land is suitable for rain-fed bamboo cultivation. About half of this has “marginal potential” and only 0,5% of SA land is “high potential”.

Of this high-potential land, about 80% is in KwaZulu Natal (45% or 188000ha) and Mpumalanga (35% or 148000ha). Just 10% of SA land, or less than 43000ha, is seen as having high potential for the cultivation of bamboo in the Eastern Cape, with a slightly smaller area also suitable in Limpopo.

As it stands, the cultivation of bamboo is limited in SA. Three pilot projects near Port Elizabeth, Stutterheim and Centane will be extended when the project is expanded in three or four years.

Pelo Gabaraane, director of SA Bamboo, which has been commissioned by the ECDC to manage the pilots, says 12 people have already been employed.

“We look forward to more of the local people gaining employment and skills when the project goes full scale.”

- Financial Mail

Eastern Cape pioneering new fibre processing possibilities

Eastern Cape natural fibre cluster is likely to lead the country's initiatives in natural fibre processing, says Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) chief executive Sitembele Mase.

ECDC, together with the provincial Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (DEDEA), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Cacadu District Municipality, are part of the team leading fibre development initiatives in the province. 

"Already R21 million has been invested in research and product development of these fibres.  Two hundred and six jobs have been created; 33 jobs in a hemp commercial pilot project and 173 jobs in the cashmere sector," says Mase.

There is a potential to establish a niche natural fibre cluster around the province's cashmere, hemp and flax, pineapple agave Americana and wool and mohair industries. The cluster works with partners in research, agriculture, industry, government and higher education with a view for beneficiation and addressing socio-economic issues, Mase says.

"The purpose is to map out the value chains for products in each industry and plan with stakeholders. That will help us identify solutions to gaps in the value chains. Part of the process is identifying gaps in technology and also those related to social and economic issues."

ECDC project manager and the cluster chairman Ken Bern says that while traditional fibres like mohair and wool industries have a century-old history in the province; crops such as pineapples are fast gaining ground.

The pineapple industry has already made inroads towards developing natural fibre, Bern says.

"Pineapples, as a crop, are not unfamiliar to the province. It has been around for over 100 years but the industry has been reenergized by opportunities as a result of a restructured process and a subsequent zero waste beneficiation strategy," says Bern.

This pineapple project has been funded to the tune of R60 million by the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture and ECDC, together with additional investments coming from the farmers. This has resulted in increased plantings, the acquisition by Ndlambe Natural Industrial Products (NNIP) of a majority stake in fruit processor Summerpride Foods, a workers trust holding 26% equity in NNIP and a successful dietary fibre pilot project.

Numerous other opportunities are being investigated including various other fibres which can be extracted from the pineapple.

Recently the pineapple industry announced it had received its first commercial order for dietary fibre which brings to a close the first phase of the project. The fibre from the fruit is seen as a healthy additive to a wide variety of food, including, but not necessarily limited to bread, cakes and processed meat products. 

"The second focus area of the project will look at the possibilities of fruit's microcrystalline cellulose opportunities for use in the dietary fibre and pharmaceutical industries. This project has the potential to create between 400 and 600 jobs in Bathurst," explains Bern.

Successful beneficiation has also been achieved in the cashmere stream, which should take two to three years to come to fruition and has already generated 173 jobs.

The province is home to three million indigenous goats. The development of the cashmere industry is a key programme in the Industry Policy Action Plan (IPAP) for the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear sector.

In mohair, the project team is awaiting the Mohair Board which is waiting for the finalisation of a 50% stake by farmers from the Klipplaat, Steylterville and Jansenville area.  The project will take up to three years to become fully operational.

"Five black farmers recently graduated from skills transfer programme with the Mohair Growers Association," says Bern. To complement this activity, the Ikwezi Local Municipality, ECDC and CSIR are involved in establishing a one-stop shop which produces and sells mohair craft products in Jansenville, he adds.

Jansenville is located between Uitenhage and Graaff-Reinet. The initiative is a drive to transform the South African mohair industry, says CSIR scientist, Sunshine Blouw.

"Ikwezi Local Municipality is the world's mohair capital, but when you drive through there, you don't find economic activity to suggest (that is it the world's mohair capital). The industry is historically white so this is a transformational agenda," Blouw says. In the hemp project, yarn producer House of Hemp and the national department of social development, are collaborating in a six ha trial in East London. The crop has the potential to produce up to seven tons of hemp straw per hectare. The National Hemp Foundation of SA, an entity representing both the public and private sector parties interested in hemp, is the driver of the hemp initiative.

The national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) directorate for plant production is responsible for coordinating efforts to submit amendments to current legislation to allow for commercial cultivation of hemp.  

Agave Americana is being investigated by the CSIR for its suitability as a dietary fibre (fructans). Primary research on its extraction and the development of other products such as textiles and handmade paper from by-product of leaf material has been completed.

"Our fibre research in the province has caught the attention of the Department of Trade and Industry, which together with a number of other fibres, has been listed in the country's industrial policy action plan for use in the textile, aerospace, construction and automotive sectors," ends Mase.

Natural fibre cluster fact file

Currently, five areas have been identified where there is a potential to establish a niche natural fibre linked industry

• Cashmere: The combed hair from the three million goats in the province will be used to spin into luxury yarns in the manufacture of garments.
•  Hemp and flax: Using crops new to South Africa and with established uses in other countries, hemp and flax could help revitalise the textile industry and be used as a source of seeds and oils.
• Agave Americana: The sisal plant, which grows in the Karoo and which has been used to make a tequila-type liquor, could help develop markets particularly as a raw material for several industrial uses.
• Pineapple: Having learnt from the innovative projects which make commercial use of the leaves, stems and roots of the pineapple plant, there are fibre opportunities for a plant which already has a solid base in plantations and has the involvement of black commercial farmers.
• Mohair and wool: New opportunities are being investigated for an old industry that will involve people previously (and currently) excluded from direct benefit in the beneficiation of the Eastern Cape‘s extraordinary resources of mohair and wool.

 

Goal: Create more jobs in the region by using the natural fibres produced locally as raw material inputs

- ECDC

City gives approval for hemp farming

A plan to establish and develop a hemp industry in the Western Cape has been given an enthusiastic thumbs-up by the city’s economic development and tourism portfolio committee.

According to Tony Budden of Long Street’s Hemporium, hemp is an enormous untapped industry with the potential to address many of the city’s social woes, including in the areas of housing, unemployment and health.

Budden presented his views on the hemp industry to the committee yesterday.

Hemp products are mostly imported and crops may be cultivated locally only with a permit allowing the cultivation of narcotic drugs, issued by the Department of Health.

Industrial hemp contains only negligible amounts of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol, which is found in dagga.

Budden was bombarded with questions yesterday from curious committee members.

After Budden’s presentation, chairman Pat Hill confirmed that the committee supported – “with some enthusiasm” – Hemporium’s plan to apply for a licence to grow hemp commercially.

Budden said the Western Cape was the ideal place to cultivate hemp crops. However, he said the country was being left behind in the wake of other countries that were already reaping the commercial, social and ecological rewards of industrial hemp production.

More than 30 countries produced industrial hemp, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Chile, North Korea, Uruguay and nine US states.

The world’s leading producer of hemp was China, which, according to Budden, had set a target of creating 3 million jobs in the industry over the next 10 years.

Budden said hemp had the potential to create “an entire new industry for the Western Cape, and particularly for the City of Cape Town”.

It also had the potential to create up to four times the number of jobs associated with wheat cultivation.

Processed hemp had many uses and over the past 15 years several business, including Woolworths, Nando’s, Levi’s, Billabong, Clicks, Sappi, DaimlerChrysler, Unilever and Concretex, had shown “a genuine interest in locally grown hemp”.

Even in the government there was no shortage of people who supported industrial hemp production, Budden said.

“All we are asking for is to create an enabling environment for research so we can prove it is viable,” he urged.

While a sceptical Koos Bredenhand, of the ANC, initially put Budden through his paces, he was apparently won over after being shown raw hemp products, one of which he declared to be “beautiful”.

It also helped changed his mind when Budden explained the difference between hemp and dagga.

With the support of the city, Hemporium will now attempt to obtain the necessary permits for local hemp production.

- Cape Argus

How to build a Cannabrick Home

Peacefully Demonstrated outside the Department of Housing May 7 2005

1. Plant a cannabis seed. Water and allow the plant to grow and produce seed. Plant and water these seeds. Your goal is to grow enough to build a house, you will need about 1 acre to build a 5 roomed home.
   
   Tyala imbewu ntsangu (ye-cannabis). Nkcenkceshela imbewu uze uyinike ithuba lokuba ikhule ide ikhuphe eyayo imbewu. Uyothi ke uyityale nalembewu uyinkcenkceshele njalo. Injongo yakho kukukhulisa izityalo ezothi zonele ekwakheni indlu, uyakudinga i-acre (malunga nentsimi) enye ukuze wakhe indlu enamagumbi amahlanu.
   
   Plant 'n hemp saad. Water en laat die plante om te groei en saad te produseer. Plant en water hierdie sade. Jou doel is om te groei genoeg is om 'n huis bou, jy sal ongeveer een aker benodig om' n 5-kamer huis te bou.
   
   
2. Consider the many relevant points presented in the guidelines of Build your house step-by-step.
   
   Qwalasela yonke imigaqo oyibekelweyo kwincwadana i-Build Your House Step By Step.
   
   Oorweeg die baie relevante punte in die riglyne van die bou van jou huis stap aangebied-vir-stap.
   
   
   
   
   


3. Start planning where your house will stand. Consider everything about the environment you’ll be building in, like winter and summer sunshine, wind and rain – you don’t want to build on a floodplain, or your house will wash away. Be sure to plan all your water and waste requirements.
   
   Ceba indawo ozokwakha kuyo indlu yakho. Qwalasela yonke into ngomhlaba lo uzokwakha kuwo indlu yakho, izinto ezinje ngemimoya, ilanga, neemvula zehlobo nobusika, akekho umntu ofuna ukwakha indlu yakhe emgxobhozweni okanye apho iyothi ibe lilifa lezikhukhula khona. Uqiniseke ukuba unamanzi akulungeleyo ukwenza oku.
   
   Begin met die beplanning, waar jou huis sal staan. Oorweeg dit alles oor die omgewing en jy sal gebou in, soos winter en somer son, wind en reën - jy nie wil bou op 'n vloedvlakte, of jou huis sal wegspoelen nie. Maak seker om te beplan al jou water en afval vereistes voldoen.
   
   
4. Cut the grown cannabis plants down and leave in the field to rhett for a week. The morning dew and natural rotting process will loosen the fibers from the plant.
   
   a. Process the plant matter by cutting leaves and branches off, then hit small bundles the length of the plant over and upturned rake.
   b. The long fiber parts that remain in your hand are good for weaving rugs and making various other items your skills can accomplish.
   c. The seed can be gathered for more housing.
   d. Gather the small woody bits (the hurd) that have fallen, this waste is what will be used in the construction material.
   
   Sika / sarha izityalo uzibeke egadini ixesha elingangeveki ukuze zibole. Umbethe wasekuseni nezinye izinto zendalo ezibolisayo ziya kuyikhulula I-fibre ezityalweni.
   
   a. Yikhawulezise ngohlukanisa intonga zezityalo namagqabi, uhlale uyiharika rhoqo.
   b. Intonga ezi zinothi zincede kwezinye izinto ezifana nokwenza ingubo nezinye izinto onothi uzibonele zona ngokolwazi lwakho.
   c. Imbewu inokuqokelelwe ukwakha ezinye izindlu.
   d. Qokelela imithana ethe yaziwela njengokuba uzoyisebenzisa xa usakha indlu yakho.
   
   Sny die gegroei hemp/cannabis plante af en in die veld verlaat om rhett vir 'n week. Die oggend-dou en die natuurlike verrotting proses sal die vesel van die plant los te maak.
   
   a. Proses van die plantmateriaal deur te sny blare en takke af, dan is getref klein bundels die lengte van die plant oor en omgekeerde hark.
   b. Die lang vesel dele wat in jou hand bly is goed vir die matte weef en die maak van verskeie ander items jou vaardighede kan bereik.
   c. Die saad kan vir meer behuising ingesamel word.
   d. Versamel die klein houtagtige bits (die hurd) wat gedaal het, die afval is wat sal in die konstruksie materiaal gebruik kan word.
   
   


5. Wash the hurd, dry it, then wash it again. Be careful not to allow the matter to rot or decay during this process, by turning, airing and allowing the African sun to dry the hurd properly. Now combine in proportions 10:2:3:3 combine the cannabis/ntsangu/dagga Hurd(10), washed river sand 0.5mm(2), hydraulic lime(3) and water(3) to make the mulch (This process may need tweaking depending on your geographic location, humidity, rainfall etc)
   
   Hlamba ingqokelela yakho, uyomise, uphinde uyihlambe.Ulumkele ukuba lengqokelela ibole kwelithuba, yiguquguqule, uyivumele ibethwe ngumoya uvumele nelanga lase Afrika liyomise lengqokelela. Dibanisa ngokwalo mgaqo 10:2:3:3, dibanisa ke lemvuno yakho yomgquba wentsangu (10) kunye nesanti yasemlanjeni 0.5mm(2), ikalika (3) kunye namanzi (3) ukwenza udaka (Nale into ke iyokuthi ixhomekeke kwindawo leyo ukuyo nemvula zakhona njalo-njalo).
   
   Was die kudde, droog dit af, dan was dit weer. Wees versigtig om nie toe te laat die aangeleentheid te verrot of verval gedurende hierdie proses, deur die draai, voorlê en laat die Afrika-son om droog die kudde goed. Nou kombineer in verhoudings 10:2:3:3 kombineer die cannabis / ntsangu / dagga Hurd (10), gewaste riviersand 0.5 mm (2), hidrouliese kalk (3) en water (3) aan die deklaag te maak (Hierdie proses kan tweaking nodig, afhangende van jou geografiese ligging, humiditeit, reën, ens)
   
   
6. Now build your house! Ngoku ke yakha indlu yakho! Nou bou jou huis!
   
   
7. Teach others. Fundisa abanye. Onderrig ander.
   
   

You can use this “dagga-cement” for making bricks, shutter casting or the proven “pole-and-dagga” method. This last method allows for a sturdy, warm, fireproof and water proof home – built with pride and intuitive engineering, not a ‘uniform box’.

Be sure to consider all aspects of your house design and structural requirements. Although the cannabis-cement will become stronger than steel in time, it is not advised to build over 2 floors high without considering structural implications. With planning this cement can be used to build up to 4 floors high.

The cannabis-cement will dry over a period of a month (depending on the weather). At this point you will be able to add the roof. Seal your home’s walls with lime; lime external walls annually. Decorate your house with masonry to make it unique, and paint with coloured lime as per custom.

Always PLANT A TREE in a place that will provide shade, to commemorate this accomplishment.

Council will plant trees if citizens care for them. Call (021) 689-8938 http://www.trees.org.za/

Assist your family, friends or neighbors with your experience and expertise. Share information and technique; you can uplift yourself and your community.

Right2Know march on parliament

Why is it important to know?

R1,3 billion could be swept under the carpet on failed housing projects, because it has been declared a secret.

Maintenance funds on inner-city prototype high-rise buildings, flagship projects and soccer stadiums could become national security issues, and we would never know.

15 Years of government Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) research could be classified a secret and more than the few of you who know would know even less....

Like how much it has cost so far...

What is the Secrecy Bill?

The Protection of Information Bill – or the Secrecy Bill – says that its aim is to regulate how valuable state information is handled and protected, so that it is not lost, destroyed, altered or given to the wrong people. It provides ways to classify and to declassify information, and establishes a database of declassified information for the public. It also makes it criminal to spy on South Africa.

Why should you take action?

The Right2Know Campaign believes that the Secrecy Bill undermines access to information. The Bill would allow any government department – from the Natal Sharks Board to your local municipality – to classify public information as secret. Anything and everything can potentially be classified as secret if it is in the ‘national interest’. Anyone involved in the ‘unauthorised’ handling and disclosure of classified information can be prosecuted.The disclosure even of some information which is not formally classified can land citizens in jail. This will lead to self-censorship and have a chilling effect on free speech.

What can you do?

Sign up!

Wednesday 27 October - Right2Know March to Parliament - Gathering in Kaizersgracht Street, Cape Town @ 9h30

PE CSIR

Services aimed at improving lives of women & children: Department of Social Development briefing

The HEMP projected created a total of 84 jobs for women.

Ms Lamoela asked the Department to elaborate on the HEMP project.

A DSD official explained that hemp was initially classified as a weed, but was now classified as an agricultural product. It was of the same family as the dagga plant, but without the effects. It was used as a source of fibre, a source of essential oils, and a herbal source of herbs. Extensive research had been done over many years by the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Arts and Culture, and Department of Agriculture, which showed that South Africa produced top-quality hemp, and that it grew readily. In the past South Africa had imported hemp from India, where it also grew readily, but was of poorer quality. The National Hemp Foundation now embarked on commercialisation of hemp, and DSD was involved in investigating how it could link the growing of hemp to the poor and vulnerable  such as caregivers of other social grant beneficiaries. There was no wastage of hemp, and every part of the plant could be used for a variety of purposes. The focus was not on the planting of hemp, but on the cottage industries that formed part of the value chain. The Department of Agriculture trained women in the Eastern Cape in the production of hemp, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council. DSD was implementing a project in the Eastern Cape in the production of hand creams, body lotions and hair products. Although hemp was categorised as an agricultural product, the Department of Health was the licensee, as hemp was categorised as a narcotic plant. DSD was engaging with SAPS on how best to deal with the problem. Currently, each farmer was permitted to plant two hectares of hemp. Department of Science and Technology would facilitate and drive the processes of essential oil production, but could only do that if the number of permissible hectares of planting could be increased to at least 1 000 hectares. This could have a high impact on poverty reduction.

Ms Malgas asked whether growing of hemp had now been decriminalised.

The DSD official said that to some extent it was, but there was still a need for engagement with Department of Health on licensing issues. Hemp was now classed not as a weed but an agricultural product. It was recognised that it had a value in reducing the use of dagga. Dagga was planted merely as a means of generating income, but people could be encouraged rather to plant hemp, which could be sold on the legalised market, providing more sustainable income.

- PMG - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Police swoop on what could be 144 built homes raw material

Police late this afternoon swooped on a dagga plantation barely outside of the western outskirts of Pretoria. The land apparently belongs to the provincial government and the dagga will be destroyed as soon as possible. No arrests were made.

The plantation, barely 50m from a major road connecting Pretoria to the North West Province, had plants some reaching more than 2m high and is growing undisturbed on about 12 square kilometres. Police started gathering intelligence on the site late last year.

The police’s Tummi Golding says they are worried about the land itself because they want to investigate further who the land belongs to. Golding says if the land does not belong to anybody it will go back to government. The area is informally used to grow vegetables and maize, but the land, usually bustling with people working in their crops, grew eerily deserted as police arrived.

A police helicopter was also used to do an aerial survey of the dagga field. The police investigation will continue but the dagga will be destroyed as soon as possible. Captain Meshack Mthembi of the police’s Forensic Science Laboratory’s Drug Section says they will use a special kind of weed killer which will slowly kill off the plant material. Samples of the dagga plants were also collected to be tested.

- SABC

ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE HEMP PROJECT, MAPONYA MALL-SOWETO

Master of Ceremonies, Honourable Premier of Gauteng, Ms Nomvula Mokonyana, Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Mr Amos Masondo, Honourable MEC of Social Development, Ms Qedani Mahlangu , Honourable Minister of Human Settlements, Mr Tokyo Sexwale, Director-Generals and senior government officials here present, Representatives and leaders from the private sector, Distinguished guests, Comrades and friends, Ladies and Gentlemen

Thank you for joining us this morning on this important occasion in which we seek to intensify our efforts to combat the poverty. As a department, we have looked forward to this launch because the ultimate goal of our work is to engender self reliance in our people and communities.

With us coming together as government, the development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and our international partners to launch this project, we show our willingness and commitment to confront poverty which continues to undermine people’s dignity and overshadow the achievements of the last fifteen years.

It is befitting and inspiring that we launch this project here at the Maponya Mall, the brainchild of the Soweto veteran businessman and the pioneer of black township business, Ntate Richard Maponya. What an inspiration it is to be launching the Hemp project in the presence of a man who defied his poor background and hostile apartheid policies to become one of the leading and respected black businessman who paved the way for a new generation of emerging black business leaders.

We are equally honoured to have with us, one of the leading academic minds and development activist, Dr Mamphela Ramphele who has written extensively on the subject of poverty. Many of us in the development sector draw on your knowledge to infuse thinking about the South African development trajectory. You have contributed to this effort in no small measure.

We are greatly honoured and pleased that you all took time from your busy schedules to join us in this national civil society dialogue. Our ultimate long term goal remains uprooting poverty (to borrow from the title of Dr Mamphela’s report on poverty) through building a more caring society…. together, for the mark of a noble society is found not in how it protects the most powerful, but how it defends the most vulnerable.

I do not know if it is fate or design that the launch of this project is taking place here in Soweto- a township that was the nucleus of our struggle for freedom and justice. Whatever the reason, the launch could not have happened at a more appropriate place than here.

It was in the streets of this vast township that our youth, armed only with stones and petrol bombs, fought relentlessly against the heavily armed security forces. Many of you will remember that in 1956 during the height of apartheid, the Congress of the People took place in Kliptown (not far from here) to draw up the Freedom Charter which became the foundation of our Constitution.

At that historic gathering, the forefathers of our struggle pledged: “the state shall help the peasants with implements, seed, tractors and dams to save the soil and assist the tillers”. As a nation we have walked a long road since that historic gathering, but the Freedom Charter remains a living document that guides our national democratic revolution.

Today, 54 years on and 15 years into a democratic South Africa, we are gathered here to make a similar pledge to work together to eliminate extreme hunger and poverty in our midst. On this historic occasion of the launch of the Hemp Project, let me start by saying that it gives me great pleasure to be present at a function of this kind as it gives us an opportunity to witness first hand, how much can be achieved when government joins hands with the private sector, research institutions, development agencies and communities to tackle the challenges confronting us. On behalf of my Department I would like to thank all the stakeholders in the Hemp project.

The fact that the Hemp project takes place today, on the same date as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, is a matter of historical significance. Every year, 17 October is observed by United Nations Member States as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty- a global awareness campaign dedicated to fighting poverty and destitution around the globe.

The history of this campaign can be traced back to 1987 when over a hundred thousand people gathered in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.

They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on this day to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor. For us this day presents us with a watershed opportunity to launch this very exciting and ground breaking development initiative.

What makes this initiative so much interesting is that it is spearheaded by a community-public-private sector partnership that brings together the synergy, expertise and resources between various stakeholders. Without any doubt, today’s event signifies unity in diversity and action.

Furthermore, today's event is a very important and rewarding milestone for my Department as this project is a direct beneficiary of our Sustainable Livelihood Approach- an innovative development strategy which seeks to teach people that through cooperative self-help and a united approach to common problems, the vast potential for their own self-improvement can be translated into effective programmes which can do much to improve their standard of living.

Mahatma Gandhi once said “Poverty is the worst form of violence”. None of us in this room can deny that poverty is a reality in this country, and, if South Africa is to grow and prosper, it needs to eradicate poverty as a matter of extreme urgency. It is for this reason that the government embarked some years ago on the strong drive to eradicate poverty in South Africa, especially in the rural areas, hit the hardest by the global economic recession and the widespread retrenchments. As a government, every day we respond as best we can to the concerns of those hit hardest by this crisis. While we continue to reap the benefits of globalization, we clearly have not been immune to the shocks that come with it.

Over the last fifteen years government has been implementing a myriad of poverty alleviation measures, with social assistance programme being the biggest of them all, aimed at achieving the goal of a better life for all. To date this programme is one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated in the developing world. We have, progressively expanded social grants to vulnerable groups since the dawn of our democracy and more than a quarter of the population is receiving income transfers.

I have said it before, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record-player, I would like to repeat that while appropriate social security provisioning plays a critical role in addressing the basic needs of the poor households, it is only meant to be a temporary measure.

From its inception, the social assistance programme was not specifically designed with strategies to connect recipients and other able-bodied and unemployed household members to opportunities for sustainable livelihoods, employment and other economic opportunities.

Having succeeded in expanding the reach of our social security system to so many in our country, the challenge now is to focus on programmes that have the potential to graduate people out of poverty.

To respond to this challenge, my Department initiated the Sustainable Livelihoods to link the poor, vulnerable and marginalized, with particular focus on able-bodied beneficiaries of social grants, to opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and economic activities. The programme does not intend to exit social grant beneficiaries from the system in the short-term, but to create opportunities for sustained work opportunities and income in the long-term.

This programme operates within the framework of adaptive social protection- a process which facilitates the strengthening of coping strategies of the poor to tackle vulnerabilities and build their adaptive capacities to improve access to socio-economic opportunities. It might not solve all their problems, but it does build up their confidence to tackle such problems more effectively. We strongly believe that the pursuit of the goals and, in the end, of development and poverty requires the active participation of the beneficiaries.

One such project, which has proven successful as it gives communities the opportunity to determine their own patterns and priorities of development, is Silindithemba project (Dutyini, Eastern Cape) on “linking grants to sustainable livelihoods and co-operatives”.

The success of the Silindithemba project, which is driven mainly by rural women who were previously disenfranchised simply on the basis of their gender, is testimony that with initiative and the right support, women are creating markets where none existed, turning a profit, and prioritizing investing in the education and health of their families. It has been proven that investing in women and girls is not only a worthy goal in its own right - it is one of the fastest and best means of advancing human development for all.

Today’s launch of the Hemp Project is the culmination of long standing partnership between my Department, the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the Eastern Cape Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (national and provincial), Eastern Cape Department of Economic Affairs, Eastern Cape Development Agency, Department of Science and Technology, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The majority of people participating in this project are women. Given the historical importance of this day, and the fact that poverty disproportionally affects women than men, what a better way of showing our commitment to poverty reduction than to invest in the Hemp Project?

Analyzing data from two surveys conducted by Statistics South Africa, a recent study by the University of Stellenbosch found that 45 percent of female-headed households lived below the poverty line, as compared to only 25 percent of male-headed households. The findings of this study are comparable with international trends which show that of the world’s 1.3 billion poor people, women constitute 70 percent.

This state of affairs is variance with the Freedom Charter and the Constitution both of which are premised on the concept of social justice and gender equality. For this reason, we welcome and support development initiatives that strengthen the value chains for women cooperatives.

Comrades and friends, we believe that value chains will certainly address poverty and gender disparities. An enhanced value chain is a great incentive to production and income generation, however it cannot sustain unless market access is possible for them.

We have learnt that most cooperatives, some of which have huge potential to succeed and benefit many people, did not last for long due to limited or no market accessibility. Judging by the presence of so many entrepreneurs in this room, I am hopeful that we can rely on your business acumen to improve the Hemp project’s production chain and to increase its competitiveness and market penetration.

Support for more commercially orientated production, improved marketing, and private sector involvement is identified as a strategic object in most of the development initiatives. The beauty about the Hemp project is that it fully embraces the concept of sustainable livelihoods in that it highlights the need for communities to use natural resources in a sustainable fashion.

I therefore would like urge each and everyone in this room to share your expertise by participating in this national flagship programme in order to create production and marketing capacities as well as competitiveness in national and international markets.

Judging by the long list of government departments and agencies involved in this project, our government is up to the challenge of eradicating poverty. But it is clear that our success will come only if it is a true team effort. Government is doing its part, but the private sector must step up and seize the opportunity we have created. Working together, we can do much better to reduce poverty.

So now, I call upon the leaders of our private sector to take up the challenge at this important time: to join your government and continue to invest in our nation’s future. Work with us to ensure that our nation’s limited resources are able to meet the objective of improving the lives of the people of South Africa, particularly poor women in rural areas.

Before concluding, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the pioneers of the House of Hemp, in particular Dr Thandeka Kunene and the project’s investment partner, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, and members of my department for successfully organizing this launch.

I should also point out that the foundation for the partnership agreement between the Department of Social Development and the House of Hemp, was laid by the sterling support and contributions from the CSIR, ARC, Eastern Cape Department of Economic Affairs, Eastern Cape Development Agency, Department of Science and Technology, DBSA, Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The stage is set and we call aboard all actors to participate.

We must all band together to shoulder the responsibility of bringing our nation through these challenging global times. As I said, to date we have been successful. But now is not the time to be complacent. It is the time to step up to the challenge and work hard to ensure our nation’s bright economic future. We owe this to gallant men and women who in 1955 gathered in Kliptown to adopt the Freedom Charter.

As Norman Peale once said:
Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.

As we launch this project on this historic day, we do so with the hope that it will bring us much closer to the attainment of our shared and common goal of making poverty a history.

I thank you.

- Department of Social Development

- South African Government Information