This report based on an edited version of a Business Day story by Linda Ensor.

Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Director General Simphiwe Hamilton says the Department is working on a ‘comprehensive Omnibus Bill” which will trigger amendments to the Drugs Act and allow for the commercialisation of cannabis.

An omnibus bill is a single legislative document that combines multiple, often unrelated, policy areas or provisions into one package. It’s commonly used around the world as a way for legislatures to pass bundled legislation with a single vote, especially for budget appropriations.

Hamilton told a DTIC portfolio committee meeting on 17 June 2025 that the ‘omnibus bill’ was aimed at reducing regulatory hurdles and enhancing the ease of doing business in South Africa across a range of sectors. He said it was planned to be finalized by Government year-end in February 2026

The Bill is expected to cut the excessive red tape that characterises the legislative system has acted as a constraint on investment and has been targeted by Operation Vulindlela, a joint initiative of the presidency and National Treasury. Cannabis policy is being driven by the DTIC as part of Operation Vulindlela.

Hamilton said “the department aims to play a critical role in unlocking bottlenecks and reducing red tape for businesses in SA,”

He said among the acts is being considered for possible amendment under the Omnibus Bill besides the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, were the  Companies Act, Infrastructure Development Act, Drug Trafficking Act, Legal Metrology Act, Land Alienation Act and Liquor Act. Hamilton said that laws related to the commercialisation of cannabis and intellectual property laws were likely to be affected by the new bill, and the ist had not yet been finalized.

“The department has been having extensive discussions and strategic deliberations on priorities of the DTIC to solve major constraints in the economy with a focus on the high impact on the investor or user and the economy,” Hamilton said without providing details of what specifically was envisaged. 

Earlier this month, DTIC Minister Parks Tau told Parliament he hoped to have a law governing the commercialization of cannabis by the same deadline: end February 2026.

It is not clear at this stage if the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act is also due for amendment to allow for the regulated trade in cannabis and related products or whether the DTIC intends tabling a whole new piece of legislation governing cannabis within the next nine months.

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