Linda Siboto is a busy man with a big mission: to transform the lives of grassroots farmers that delivers short-term tangible results.
To this end he has been appointed business development director of the U Can Company and chairman of the U Can Foundation. He has also stepped into a new position as founding director of the recently formed Township and Rural Cannabis Association (TRCA), a not-for-profit entity addressing the needs, concerns and commercial requirements of cannabis producers and distributors operating in marginalised markets, particularly township and rural communities.
Siboto continues to serve as a Cheeba Africa director where he remains responsible for business development. He also retains his position at the Cannabis Trade Association Africa whose primary focus is to ensure that rural and
township communities are meaningfully integrated into the commercial cannabis value chain and benefit equitably from industry growth.
He has stepped down from as strategy director at the Soweto Cannabis Association and as deputy chair of the African Farmers Association of SA, Gauteng.
Siboto says he’s joining the U Can group because, through U Can Grow (UCG), it has a tried, tested and effective model of empowering farmers through structured off-takes and professional management of cultivation sites. Its main focus has been in funding food based localization and supply chains, and has now offering offtakes for hemp.
U Can Grow was launched by ‘serial social entrepreneur’ Steve Carver, founder & chairman of the WinWin Group, and has been instrumental in several education initiatives, including Eden Campus, the first innovative self-funding School-Business Model in Africa which taught hands-on entrepreneurship.
UCG is the chosen strategic partner of IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative, the Pan-European social development “trade not aid” foundation. According to its website UCG acts as a catalyst for financial blended funding solutions, which is de-risked through a €100m fund and a second $250m fund. This allows any local stakeholder, be they a financial institution, government or financial lender a near-zero risk on any developmental funding in the food supply chain. The UCG-IDH South African Food Transformation Alliance is committed to reducing the USD-based imports by investing in local supply chains and saving the South African economy R20bn by 2030.
“Unlike many other structures, the U Can company operates without political interference or political hierarchies. Its sole focus is practical farmer empowerment providing farmer support and access to additional upskilling and opportunities” says Siboto, who announced his new roles on 2 August 2026
“With my energy, connections and networks, I believe I can help expand the U Can company system so that it benefits farmers across the board from every association and every community. This appointment allows me to apply the knowledge I have gained in the cannabis industry and through my previous service with African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) towards real, practical outcomes for small and emerging farmers, food security, and the creation of sustainable local economies” he says.
Siboto says his call to action is clear: farmers, producers and associations do not need any formal mandate or membership requirement to access the opportunities the U Can company provides.
You can contact the U Can company at info@ucangrow.africa
