Dear Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services,

I trust that all of your members are keeping well?

With reference to your in-committee deliberations on 23 August 2022 wherein it was inter alia decided to refer the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill to the House of Traditional Leaders ("House"); I kindly request a copy of the latest iteration of the Bill. I understand that it contained amendments to those versions previously provided as part of the public consultation process?

As you will appreciate, I represent the Umzimvubu Farmers Support Network NPC and we made extensive submissions on the Bill, both in writing and orally when invited to do so by your kind selves. We commend Honourable MP Swart for highlighting our submissions, on behalf of the amaMpondo indigenous cannabis farmers, in your 23 August session. Please do pass on our commendation.

Although I have no doubt that the House will take its consultative duty seriously, the Committee will appreciate that time is not on any of our sides. We therefore cannot wait to first be invited by the House to make submissions and only be provided with a copy of the latest Bill at that stage. Our constituency, as you seem to appreciate, are some of the poorest communities in South Africa living in abject poverty with little infrastructure and services (such as electricity, stable networks, wifi, etc.). Hence, we need to go to great lengths to properly organise community consultations and this takes time, of course, because many other cultural practices and important community concerns must take precedence.

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you in anticipation for your quick and favourable reply.

Best regards,

Ricky Stone