The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has invited members of the public to comment on draft regulations that will shape the implementation of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act in South Africa.

The proposed rules, published in a recent Government Notice, set out detailed limits and conditions for the possession, cultivation, and transportation of cannabis for private use, as well as procedures for clearing certain past cannabis-related criminal records.

📌 What the draft regulations propose

Among the key provisions:

Possession limits

• Adults would be allowed to possess up to 750 grams of cannabis per day for private use — both in private spaces and in public places.

Home cultivation

• An adult could cultivate a maximum of five cannabis plants at a private residence, regardless of the plant’s size or strain.

Transporting cannabis

• The total amount transported may not exceed 750 grams
• Cannabis must be concealed from public view, such as in a boot, trunk, or closed storage compartment
• Drivers must inform passengers if cannabis is in the vehicle, and passengers must do the same if they are carrying cannabis
• Cannabis may not be mixed with other substances while being transported
• Passengers would also be required to keep cannabis stored in luggage or out of reach of others in the vehicle.

🧾 Clearing old cannabis convictions

A major part of the draft regulations deals with the expungement of criminal records for certain past cannabis-related offences.

The regulations outline:

• How individuals can apply for expungement
• The forms required
• The role of the Department of Justice and the SAPS Criminal Record Centre
• Timeframes for processing applications and issuing certificates
• People whose previous cannabis convictions were not automatically cleared may apply to have their records expunged, provided they meet the criteria under the Act.

🗣 Public participation now open

The Department is encouraging individuals, civil society groups, legal experts, and other stakeholders to submit written comments on the draft regulations.

Deadline for submissions: Thursday, 5 March 2026

Comments must be marked for the attention of Mr M Mokulubete and can be submitted by post, hand delivery, or email.

The full draft regulations are available on the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development website.

This consultation process is seen as a key step in finalising the practical rules that will govern private cannabis use in South Africa, following the legal reforms introduced by the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act.

The City has clarified recent media reports that claimed it plans to double the municipal rates on properties that are rented out for short durations, including those listed on Airbnb and Booking.com.

The City has denied that this is a new tax, but that all short-term letting premises are already required to pay commercial property rates under the City’s existing Rates Policy.

To improve compliance, a draft Short-Term Letting By-Law will go out for public participation soon.

This does not apply to primary residences that do some short-term letting, or to long-term letting – residential rates still apply.

The City says the aim is fairness: commercial short-term letting operations must pay commercial rates under the City’s existing Rates Policy.

According to the Metro, the proposed by-law will make it harder to game the system by only paying residential rates while operating a commercial short-term letting enterprise.

Over time, the City has been working to systematically identify non-compliant properties where residential rates are incorrectly being paid.

Further details, including the full draft by-law and public participation schedule, will be made available after all due Council processes.

In the interim, the City has encouraged short-term letters not to wait until new measures are introduced to promote compliance, but to approach the City now to ensure the correct commercial rates category is paid on residences primarily used for short-term letting.

Cape Town has become one of the most expensive property markets in Africa, and a growing number of homes are no longer being rented to residents.

Instead, many properties are being used as short-term holiday accommodation on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. There are currently an estimated 25,000 to 26,000 short-term rental listings across the city, representing tens of thousands of homes that are not available to people looking for long-term leases.

Some experts say this is having a direct impact on the rental market. With fewer properties available for long-term tenants, rental prices rise.

At the same time, local renters are increasingly competing with tourists and digital nomads who earn in stronger foreign currencies such as dollars, euros and pounds. For many landlords, short-term rentals can generate significantly more income per night than a traditional monthly lease.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says it has made significant progress in placing learners who were left unplaced at the start of the 2026 academic year.

The department says since the start of January, it has successfully placed 26 312 learners in Grades R, 1, and 8 across the province, in addition to the tens of thousands of learners placed during 2025.

WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says despite placing 96% of all learners who applied last year, including late applications submitted up to 10 December, the WCED faced an unprecedented influx of extremely late applications at the start of 2026.

“Since January, the department has received 25 065 new extremely late applications for Grades R, 1, and 8. As of 6 February 2026, 99.6% of Grade 8 learners have been placed, with placement in progress for 396 learners. Placement is in progress for 326 Grade 1 learners, representing over 99% placement, while placement is in progress for 1 148 Grade R learners, with 13 905 extremely late applications received this year alone.”

Hammond stressed that the department worked with the utmost urgency to ensure that all learners who were not registered at a school, are placed timeously.

 “The fact that more than 26 000 placements have been made within four weeks is a remarkable accomplishment by our team.”

The WCED says it continues to process new extremely late applications daily and appeals to the public to allow officials the space to complete placements.

Another fatal attack involving a Pit Bull has sparked renewed debate about stricter regulations for the breed and the role of responsible ownership.

This comes after the death in hospital of 44-year-old Mitchells Plain resident Faziela Swartz on 3 February, after she was attacked by her son’s Pit Bull in the backyard of her home in Morgenster, on 28 January.

A video of the gruesome incident was widely shared. While two dogs were allegedly involved, only one was confirmed to be a Pit Bull. Both dogs were voluntarily surrended by the owner (the victim’s son) and euthanized.

While the City of Cape Town’s Animal Keeping By-law (2021) requires all dogs over the age of six months to be sterilized, and owners to get prior written permission from the municipality for breeding purposes, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA says spesific rules around power breeds may be needed.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham says in addition to compulsary sterilization, those who chose to own a Pit Bull should perhaps be required to have a permit with set criteria.

Abraham has however emphasised that aggression is not a breed or a dog type issue, it’s a people issue.

“Dogs behave according to how they’re bred, how they’re raised, how they’re handled, and breed-specific legislation will not address the real causes of attacks. That includes things like neglect, poor socialization, irresponsible ownership, and irresponsible breeding, which includes breeding traits like human aggression into a otherwise non-human aggressive dog type.”

The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa (PBFSA) says this tragic incident is another opportunity to learn.

“We are committed to educating the public about Pit Bulls — but we can’t do it alone. We need your help. Let’s be absolutely clear: Pit Bulls are NOT inherently aggressive toward humans. Our breed standard has zero tolerance for human aggression. When a Pit Bull shows aggressive behaviour, it is a reflection of handling, environment, and ownership — not the breed itself.”

The City’s By-Laws require dog owners to keep dangerous dogs, defined as an animal that is wild, vicious, or has a habit of charging people or vehicles, to be kept in an adequate enclosure, ensuring they cannot escape, and display signage warning of a dangerous animal on the property.

In public places, these animals must be kept on a leash and, if necessary, muzzled in public.

Owners are responsible for any damage or injury caused by their dogs, and owners must also notify the City if a dog classified as dangerous bites a person/animal, escapes, or is moved to a new address.

Dogs found in violation of the by-laws may be impounded, and fees will be charged for their release. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in fines, legal action, or, in severe cases, the removal of the animal.