Incarcerated Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN) President Brian Jaftha is on hunger strike to protest Namibia’s draconian anti-cannabis laws and has petitioned the country’s president to demand fairness and the upholding of human rights for cannabis-related offences.

A report on Namibian Broadcasting Corporation television stated that Jaftha started the hunger strike on Tuesday, May 5 but according to GUN Secretary General Borro Ndungula, Jaftha began his strike on Saturday, May 3 to coincide with a march that was being held in Windhoek to highlight Namibia’s prohibitively draconian drug legislation. GUN has written to United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies  to complain about outdated laws it blames for perpetuating the impoverishment and marginalisation of citizens.

In a call to Cannabiz Africa on Wednesday, 6 May 2025, Ndungula stated that Jaftha intended to end his hunger strike today (7 May), but Jaftha himself stated that his action could be indefinite.

Jaftha was put through a mandatory examination to determine his fitness to embark on the strike, a spokesperson for the Namibian Correctional Service, Assistant Commissioner Salmi Hangula, was quoted as saying. He was then placed in isolation following being deemed fit to continue with the strike.

In a letter to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, shared with Cannabiz Africa, Jaftha outlines a list of grievances that he says are the result of Namibia’s colonial-era laws.

He fingers the laws for violating the human rights of mainly poor Namibians, criticising them for causing the economic marginalisation, disproportionate punishment and the cultural oppression of especially the Rastafari community, of whom Jaftha is a member. He is the president of both GUN and the Rastafari United Front (RUF) of Namibia.

In the interview with me, Ndungula said his organisation and cannabis users at large were irked by the perpetuation of laws imposed on the country by South African colonial powers. He singled out Section 10 of the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 as particularly abusive for facilitating the unwarranted detentions and the seizure of assets of those found in possession.

In the letter to President Nandi-Ndaitwah, Jaftha criticises the forfeiture of his automotive vehicle to the state and his two-year sentence as examples of the disproportionate and selective application of the law in cases involving cannabis.

He was convicted on a charge of possessing less than 100 grams of cannabis valued at under N$2 000 and is still being held at Windhoek Correctional Facility; however, an inmate convicted for possessing a higher amount has just been paroled after serving only a year, according to a source. Jaftha has also flagged the inconsistent application of laws.

For instance, he has queried the policing of the law which makes wearing cannabis-branded clothing an offence and pointed out that those flouting it were being let off the hook. He further highlighted that only the big corporations were allowed to sell hemp products while ordinary people were barred from growing hemp.

Under current laws, anyone caught in possession of upwards of 115g of cannabis is charged for dealing.

At least one other person had embarked on a hunger strike in solidarity with Jaftha.  The individual, who could only give his name as Smith for fear of possible reprisals, is a member of GUN and Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN) and also does work with Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN).

In an interview with Cannabiz Africa, he described Namibia’s continuing prohibitionist stance as defying scientific evidence pointing to cannabis’ multiple benefits. He hoped the government would greenlight the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, saying the drug had helped him cope with chronic pain.  

#