Note to Editors: Please find Hannah Lidgett, MPL sound bite in English
* KZN expanded unemployment rate of 47.2% demands real effort to grow economy
• South Africa’s formal cannabis industry has capacity to create 10 000 to 25 000 jobs
• KZN must develop a clear provincial commercialisation strategy
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) calls on the province’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) to capitalise on the commercial potential of the emerging hemp and legal cannabis sectors.
KZN has a real opportunity to position itself as South Africa’s leading province in this regard, but this will require a stronger focus on commercialisation and market development. With an expanded unemployment rate of 47.2% (Q1 2026) in KZN, every effort possible must be made to grow our economy and facilitate job creation.
Government estimates place the potential value of the country’s formal cannabis industry at around R28billion – with the capacity to create 10 000 to 25 000 jobs across the value chain. Longer-term projections under the National Cannabis Master Plan suggest the sector could ultimately support more than 130 000 jobs nationwide.
An EDTEA parliamentary reply (view here), in response to a question by the DA, confirms that, to date, the department has not undertaken any hemp or legal cannabis-specific export promotion initiatives. It is also unable to quantify the value of KZN’s legal cannabis and hemp exports due to provincial export data not being separately tracked.
EDTEA has, however, taken positive steps by supporting industry expos, partnering with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to establish shared processing infrastructure and facilitating private investment into the sector.
The department’s response also identifies challenges that industry has been raising for years, including:
• Limited market access;
• Inadequate processing capacity;
• Constrained access to finance; and
• Insufficient opportunities for emerging producers to move up the value chain.
While national government is responsible for the legislative and licensing framework, EDTEA has an important role to play in strengthening KZN’s ability to capitalise on the sector.
The DA therefore calls on EDTEA to:
• Develop a clear provincial commercialisation strategy;
• Provide measurable targets for investment attraction, enterprise development, market access and export readiness; and
• Report regularly on the outcomes of its interventions so that progress can be measured.
KZN has the climate, agricultural expertise and entrepreneurial base to become an industry leader. The focus must now shift from building potential to delivering measurable economic growth, sustainable businesses and jobs.
The DA, as a strategic partner within KZN’s GPU stands ready to work with MEC, Reverend Musa Zondi and his department to develop a master plan for our province, with the goal of ultimately creating more jobs for our people.