The Rastafarian community in Namibia has something to cheer about after it received communication from the office of the country’s president, in a move some observers see as unprecedented.

Reports say that the office of the presidency had directed Rastafarian leaders where to address their queries in the future. The development follows on events from the past few days which saw incarcerated Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN) President Brian Jaftha go on a hunger strike and petitioning President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa to demand fairness and the upholding of human rights for cannabis-related offences.

Jaftha has now ended his hunger strike at Windhoek Correctional Facility, where he is serving a two-year jail term following his conviction in October 2023 on a single charge of possessing less than 100g of cannabis.

A spokesperson for GUN also stated that Jaftha’s parole had already been approved prior to his hunger strike.

In a letter to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, shared with Cannabiz Africa, Jaftha outlined a list of grievances that he said were the result of Namibia’s colonial-era laws. He fingered 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 he is a member. He is the president of both GUN and the Rastafari United Front (RUF) of Namibia.

In an interview with Cannabiz Africa this week, GUN Secretary General Borro 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 his letter to President Nandi-Ndaitwah, Jaftha criticised 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.

GUN has held two marches in Windhoek in as many weeks recently and written to United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies to complain about outdated cannabis laws it blames for perpetuating the impoverishment and marginalisation of citizens.

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 with dealing and the repercussions can be dire, given provisions which enforce asset seizures and lengthy jail terms.

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