Mzwakhe Mbuli furious over dagga ruling – ‘Steve Biko didn’t die for ganja’
In a new poem, Mbuli expresses his dismay at the dagga judgement, saying the Constitutional Court is 'captured by demons.'
While many have expressed positivity over the recent Constitutional Court ruling that adults can legally consume cannabis in private, ‘the Peoples’ Poet’ Mzwhakhe Mbuli has released a new poem that does not contain high praise for the judgement, The Sunday Sun reports.
Last week, the ban on private possession, consumption and private cultivation of dagga at home for adults was ruled unconstitutional at South Africa’s highest court.
In addition to this, parliament has been given two years to change sections of both the drug trafficking act and the medicine controls act after these sections were found constitutionally invalid.
READ MORE: Dagga partly decriminalised at Constitutional Court
None of this pleases the famous SA poet.
“The Constitutional Court is confused. Is it ‘D’ for dagga or democracy? The Constitutional Court is captured by demons,” says Mbuli in his poem.
WATCH: Mzwakhe Mbuli to sue Google for labelling him HIV positive
The poem continues to note that “Steve Biko didn’t die for ganga, neither was Robert Sobukwe poisoned for weed nor Chris Hani assassinated for the holy herb.”
According to an article in The Citizen in 2016, “Mbuli is known as the people’s poet, a musician who advocates for black consciousness.”
The article goes on to list some of Mbuli’s accomplishments:
Achievements
- In 1990, Mbuli began his international career when he performed with Youssou N’dour, Thomas Mapfumo and Miriam Makeba in Berlin.
- Mbuli wrote and narrated A History of Apartheid in South Africa for BBC Radio, which was
aired in 1991. - He delivered a speech at the inauguration of president Nelson Mandela on May 19, 1994.
- Mbulism (2004) was Mbuli’s first album released after his prison sentence ended.
- In 2005, Mbuli helped to organise a concert for tsunami victims. He also performed at the birthday celebrations of both Mandela and his ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, in 2005.
His past track record aside, The Citizen has no idea what Mbuli was smoking at the time of writing the poem, but whatever it is, we want some.
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