Namibian activists will take to the streets of Windhoek this Saturday to call for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

The May 3 march has been organised by Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN) and is the second such event in as many weeks that GUN will stage in the capital, following the inaugural 420 march held on World Cannabis Day on April 20.

GUN Secretary-General  Advocate Borro Ndungula said the march, dubbed ‘Million Marijuana March: Against Human Rights Violations from Cannabis Prohibition’ would be held to protest draconian colonial-era laws that prejudice and deny cannabis users equal treatment before the law.

Cannabis is prohibited in Namibia under the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971, which amongst others calls for “the forfeiture of certain property of certain persons” and “the detention and interrogation of certain persons”.

Ndungula bemoaned the continuing incarceration of GUN President Brian Jaftha following his conviction in October 2023 on a charge of possession.  Speaking on Namibian television this week, Ndungula expressed outrage that cannabis users were treated worse than violent criminals, singling out an asset forfeiture provision in the law used against cannabis offenders as discriminatory.

Ndungula drew attention to the fact that Jaftha’s motor vehicle has been forfeited to the state following his arrest for possessing less than 100 grams of cannabis while violent criminals including robbers were exempt from asset seizures. He said it was unfair that people caught in possession were losing assets such as homes and other valuable property on a daily basis due to the selective application of laws dating back to Namibia’s days as a colony of South Africa.

Jaftha’s seized vehicle had a market value of N$160 000 while the cannabis found in his possession was valued at less than $2 000, said Ndungula.

He criticises Namibia’s laws as out of step with the times, citing legalisation in neighbouring countries. South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi have legalised cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, with Botswana partially legalising recently.

The Windhoek High Court is the next stage in the battle lines drawn in the fight for legalisation in Namibia. In July the court will adjudicate on an application by GNU that the ban on cannabis possession and use by adults be ruled unconstitutional.

Ndungula has argued that up to 10% of Namibians use cannabis on a daily basis, pointing to an astronomical rise in sales of Rizla weed rolling paper as indicative of a phenomenal rise in cannabis’ popularity across the country.

On Saturday, 3 May 2025 demonstrators will gather at 10am to commence a march at 11am, taking them from the corner of Mahatma Gandhi and Johann Albrecht streets, across Simon de Wit Bridge to Zoo Park and on to the corner of Independence Avenue and Mburumba Kerina Street, for a total of 4,5km. Participants are requested to wear masks.

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