Cheeba’s co-founder Linda Siboto is heading back to his roots as he spearheads the organization’s expansion into the Eastern Cape. He is relocating to Mthatha to oversee the establishment of a skills and job-creation initiative that has been launched with the Township Cannabis Incubator, a local NGO that has been playing a key role in helping informal cannabis businesses with a route to market.

“It’s an honour to be part of this transformative initiative which recognises the role of education in developing a world-class Cannabis industry from a space in my own birthplace” says Sibota (pictured above).

“Contributing to the capacity building in the Eastern Cape through education is a dream come true for me. It reflects Cheeba’s deep commitment to building a South African Cannabis industry that is inclusive of small-scale rural growers and recognises the heritage created by indigenous growers.”

Cheeba’s new Mthatha service offering is a collaboration with the Township Cannabis Incubator (TCI) which was launched in 2023 to provide business development support to SMME’s with the emphasis on medicinal cannabis-based products, cosmetics and biomaterials.

The ITC is funded by the Department of Small Business Development through the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA). It also has an MoU with the Walter Sisulu University to harness researchers into creating innovative cannabis products.

The collaboration also brings a joint venture partner, Training Force. a leading African training provider and a member of Workforce Group with its Level 1 BEE status. Since 2003, Training Force has delivered training to over 3,000 companies and upskilled thousands of workers across South Africa in various sectors.

TCI’s CEO, Dr Ncebakazi Galada, says, “We are extremely excited and proud to partner with Cheeba and Training Force to bring the Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Academy’s offering to Mthatha and its surrounds”.

Dr Galada says “The collaboration with the TCI’s business incubation support unit will enable rural, and township based MSMEs to be highly skilled not only with cannabis cultivation but also manufacturing into high value-added products suitable for the local and global markets.”

Training Force MD Daniel Orelowitz, Managing says: “This collaboration strengthens our long-standing relationship with Cheeba, and we are excited to extend our footprint in the Eastern Cape, a region deserving of job creation and economic revitalisation.”

With the CHE-accreditation of the Academy’s first Higher Certificate and the opening of its offering in Mthatha, Cheeba Africa is well-positioned to take Cannabis and hemp education and industry development to the next-level in 2025. 

From educating 100 hemp farmers in the Eastern Cape and training the Malawian government’s Seed Services Unit to successfully running their second Cannabis & Hemp Business Mastery Programme in partnership with GIBS Business School, Cheeba continues to make impactful strides in Cannabis education.

Cheeba is also an ongoing participant in South Africa’s Presidential Office Jobs Boost Programme, which involves the training of sixty budtenders.