High there!
Greetings to all the South African citizens from all places in our Dagga Nation, who have expressed their support and made enquiries about the Dagga Party. I am unable to keep up with individual replies to the flood of messages so this letter provides a step-by-step guide to help us all CREATE the Dagga Party in South Africa.
We know already that the ruling party does not want to see the legalisation of dagga. We know too that when we ask the official opposition about their position regarding dagga, they do not even reply. The users of Dagga in South Africa cannot afford to vote for parties that WILL prosecute them in the future, so we must make our own way, and be our own political force: hence the necessary presence of the Dagga Party.
I ask that all citizens who use dagga and who support legalization for the public benefit will stand together locally and at the ballots, in our shared respect for the Cannabis Tree, and in mutual respect for each other, and that we will all MOBILISE as one Culture to claim our rights via the next Parliamentary Election 2019 processes.
Here are the 5 Steps to take to reach the point where South Africa is a Sustainable Equitable Dagga Nation:
Step 1: SHARE the Knowledge!!!
One of the first things you can do is to tell everyone about the Dagga Party and to pass this brochure on to potential supporters in your area.
This link provides references to the medical benefits of Cannabis. The index of ailments that can be prevented or treated with Cannabis is at the back of the document. We all should have a right to grow and use this beneficial harmless natural medicine. Please share this information about the healing effects of Cannabis:
This link provides references to the usefulness of Dagga for the treatment of cancer. Access to the medicine should be everybody’s right, to prevent cancer, and when necessary, to treat it:
Please help to spread the knowledge about the Dagga Party, and the benefits of Cannabis.
Step 2: GATHER with supporters in your area to form a Local Ward group.
The next thing to do is to gather with all those in your neighbourhood who use Dagga to form a local co-operative Dagga Party group. This group must include all who use the Herb, and would be an inclusive group of all races, and all religious faiths. Each ward should have a group, and where two or more wards cover an area, those wards can make positive co-operative contact for the good of their neighbourhood. Where two groups form in one ward, they must amalgamate, with the elected officials working together rather than competing against each other.
For the Gathering you can download the Ward Group Constitution, (aka the Constituent Association Constitution). You fill it in to name your group and to keep a register of members. Ensure the membership info is hidden from outsiders as the Herb is still illegal.
By doing this we effectively reshape the politics of our townships and of South Africa as a whole.
Your group must also elect a President of the Group, a Secretary and a Treasurer, and must encourage youth membership. Doing all of this is more important than just voting a distant leader into a Parliamentary seat, and then to just allow the Dagga prohibition and socio-economic situation in the townships to continue.
Step 3: Check if you are a REGISTERED VOTER!!
While you are at the gathering, it is necessary to determine who is a registered voter and who is not. You can check online to see who is registered by typing in your ID number at the IEC website. Here is the IEC link:
Here is the exact link to check your registration status:
https://www.elections.org.za/content/For-Voters/My-voter-registration-details/
Those supporters who are registered voters can immediately and implement the next step. (Step 4). Those supporters who are not yet registered as a voter can find their local IEC office at this link, and make enquiries as to the requirements for registration, and to prepare them for handling any large groups who wish to register. The newly formed Dagga Party ward group must mobilise their unregistered members to their nearest IEC office WITH ID books, and register everyone to vote.
Here is the IEC link to find your nearest office:
http://www.elections.org.za/content/About-Us/Contact/
Once the unregistered folks are registered, they all become agents of change for the positive future we need to see in South Africa. Cannabis is a positive, Earth-friendly resource that we HAVE TO unlock to ensure a sustainable future, and we are the Culture that must stand together to achieve this for our country.
Step 4: Uphold MEMBERSHIP ETHICS and PROJECTS
New Dagga Party members must be told when they ask to join the Party that they must pledge non-violence within the group and in the larger community, full respect for women and children’s rights, and also the rights of animals, and that they agree to co-operate and co-invest and work together. They must pledge to not commit crimes against each other or in the community. This is a basic requirement of membership. Youth members of the Dagga Party are required to diligently attend school as a condition of their membership.
Dagga Party members must not steal, nor destroy themselves with tik or drunkenness or other damaging drugs, nor behave in ways that bring condemnation from non-members.
We must ALL become positive ambassadors for the Dagga Culture and, through our agreements and co-operation, become the stable and positive and constructive elements in our various communities. We must ALL become the leaders so that we can serve the Good, each in our own humble way,
Members must also agree to participate in future Dagga Party Ward Group projects in the community. These would include vegetable gardens for all members, the assistance of the elderly, development programs for youth and adults, water catchment management (gutters and rain tanks, mini dams etc.), tree planting, skills training, arts and culture education, etc.
It is intended that the Ward Group will ultimately become the Community Cannabis Co-operative that regulates the production of Cannabis when we eventually make Dagga legal, so establishing the ward groups and our necessary co-operation and communications is essential, regardless of how many seats we do or don’t win in Parliament or Council etc. Politics is not about only voting. Politics is about change and we must constantly BE the change.
This document, called “PERMACULTURE: A Designer’s Manual” by Bill Mollison (Tagari Press) is a manual for positive change for all members to consider and use for development in their own communities.
All local groups can keep in contact with the larger network via the Dagga Party Facebook page, and by all members logging in with a username at the Dagga Party website. Please keep the Dagga Party informed about your Ward Group activities and any problems and let us know how it goes in your local Ward Group. We would like to feature news and pictures of your group on the Dagga Party website, so send us your news!!
Contact the Dagga party via info@daggaparty.org.za
Step 5: MOBILISE to dominate at the 2019 Election Ballots
On the day of elections in 2019, it is necessary for all who support legalisation to BE THERE at the ballots to vote Dagga Party at all levels. Local Dagga Party Ward Groups will be responsible for their election program in their area, including the funding of election deposits, while keeping in contact with the central organisers and the larger network.
For Local Elections, ward groups must select their ward candidates and also nominate worthwhile qualified ethical Party List candidates. For National Parliamentary elections we will be looking for and screening leaders who have integrity, expertise, and who are representative of all cultures, religions, and areas of the country. Election Poster designs will be sent to you for printing in your area, and at the Ward groups’ cost.
This will be a decentralised campaign that requires everyone to act at the local level, thereby making the Dagga Revolution happen with these 5 steps mentioned above.
We will also ask members to occupy social media and influence the public choice in the weeks running up to the Elections.
The time has come for a Dagga revolution!!!
AmaDaggadagga AMANDLA!!!
Jeremy Acton
Leader
IQELA LENTSANGO: The Dagga Party of South Africa