It doesn’t stop in South Africa this week! “Senior Justice Department official has declared that all cannabis clubs are illegal”

Thanks to Cannabiz Africa once again

https://www.cannabiz-africa.com/blog/cannabis-act-controversy-justice-official-says-no-to-private-clubs-ahead-of-reviewing-public-submissions

Less than 20 hours after public submissions deadline on the draft regulations for the Cannabis Act, a senior Justice Department official has declared that all cannabis clubs are illegal. This astonishing revelation by the senior law advisor in charge of processing the Act, raises questions as to why the Department asked for public input in the first place.

The Justice Department’s resistance to cannabis legalization is becoming all too obvious as other government departments begin aligning behind the DTIC’s leadership in the commercialization process.

The Justice official responsible for promoting and processing public input on the Private Cannabis, Makubela Mokulubete, has declared all private cannabis clubs illegal without going through the scores of submissions on the draft regulations.

Mokulubete Pronounces on Private Clubs without Going Through Public Submissions on Cannabis Act

The astounding statemenet by Mokulubete, a senior state law advisor and the ‘public face’ of the Cannabis Act, came at lunchtime on Friday, 6 March 2026, the day after the deadline for submissions had closed and before any formal review process had begun.

Earlier, during the three-hour virtual Parliamentary session on that day, the DTIC, Agriculture and Health Department all demonstrated their willingness to ‘co-create’ cannabis regulations with the private sector as envisaged by the Phakisa workshop held by the Presidency in June 2023 and incorporated into the National Cannabis Master Plan (NCMP).

It then came as somewhat as a shock that at the end of the session, the Justice Department’s point man on the Cannabis Act, Makubela Mokulubete, came up with the unexpected pronouncement that cannabis clubs would not be legalized.

Read the full article

https://www.cannabiz-africa.com/blog/cannabis-act-controversy-justice-official-says-no-to-private-clubs-ahead-of-reviewing-public-submissions

Mokulubete –  AI Summary

• Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill: Mokulubete has been a leading Department of Justice representative, managing public submissions, responding to parliamentary questions, and explaining the department’s position on cannabis legalization (including the regulation of private clubs and penalties).
• Land Court Bill: He has been involved in deliberations regarding the creation of a dedicated Land Court, including dealing with jurisdiction and evidentiary matters.
• Protected Disclosures Act: He presented amendments regarding the practical guidelines for protected disclosures.
• Other Legal Matters: He has acted as the legal advisor on the Repeal of the Transkeian Penal Code Bill, Recognition of Customary Marriages Amendment Bill, and various Judicial Matters Amendment Bills. 
  Parliamentary Monitoring Group | South Africa +10