A hemp farmer says he has continued to be marginalised from national farming on the basis of race. Picture: Supplied
AS the country debates the budget speech and the inclusion and exclusion, funding and lack of funding following Thursday’s speech, the coloured community has come out to say they feel they have again been excluded from meaningful avenues of economic empowerment.
Hemp Life’s Ben Sassman said he was disillusioned and that this action by the government perpetuated the cycle of inequality and undermined the principles of democracy and justice.
He said: “I am particularly troubled by the absence of funding support for coloured farmers, especially when initiatives such as funding for New Era Farmers, Black Farmers and Emerging Farmers exist.
“This disparity reflects a gross oversight on the part of government agencies responsible for facilitating equitable access to resources.”
He received a hemp cultivation permit from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development after the 2021 announcement by the department that it had opened the application for hemp production permits.
Sassman’s plans include growing the plant in the Free State on land already in existence, but he has failed, he explained, to get the required funding.
He said as a coloured entrepreneur striving to make a meaningful contribution to the economy, he found himself disillusioned by the lack of support and opportunities available to individuals like himself.
He found it unacceptable that decades after the end of apartheid, there were still no adequate systems in place to address the specific needs of coloured entrepreneurs.
He called for immediate action to rectify this injustice, asking the government to: “...ensure that funding opportunities are made accessible to all South Africans, regardless of race or ethnicity”.
It was imperative that the government fulfilled its duty to promote inclusivity and provide equal opportunities for all citizens, Sassman said. “I request urgent clarification on where coloured entrepreneurs can apply for funding with the assurance of receiving the necessary assistance.”
He said he was available should the government, or anyone at all, need to discuss the matter or required additional information pertaining to his complaint and in a report he has been compiling, he detailed his failed journey to secure much-needed funding, including waiting for responses on the delay in funding from, among others, the Office of the Presidency.
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