OK folks, I am getting inundated with distraught people who are asking me what the deal is with the rumours (?) going around on social media that the Hawks have been funded by the Medical Control Council to the tune of R120 Million to clamp down on the emerging Cannabis industry.
So, I decided to dig a bit and I ended up with some "red flag" issues that dont add up:
1. The ONLY entities the police or any other government department may LEGALLY receive funds from is the Treasury.
2. The MCC have been very quite on this report. Why?
3. The MCC 2019 budget as per the state capture is R133 Million, yet they "gave" the Hawks R120 million. Really?
4. Why would they pay the police extra to do the job they ALREADY paid and obligated to do?
5. Besides "confirmation" by some Hawks cops off the record to some activists that this is true, there is NO documents or evidence that this is the case.
6. The directive that was issued by the police regarding how they should be handling weed cases is clear, a directive issued to the Hawks as well, so does 120 bar negate or contradict this document?
7. If this WAS true, why on earth would the Hawks throw this "rumour" out on social media giving everybody a heads up? Think carefully....
It does not take Jacob Zuma mathematics to do the maths here. This "rumor" was discussed at our monthly CDCKZN exec meeting last night at length and the CDCSA will engage with MCC this week to get clarity on this issue, and will release a public press statement as soon as we get response.
Personally, I think that this is a fake news rumor that has been started deliberately to suppress the exploding Cannabis industry, because fear is the oldest way of controlling the free thinking masses. My advice, keep your **** on the low down until there is more clarity on what is going on....or, just throw caution to the wind and let the industry explode so big, they gonna need more than the Hawks and R120 million to control it.