A new national coalition is calling for South Africa to rethink how it responds to drug use, arguing that people who use drugs should receive healthcare and support rather than face arrest and criminalisation.
The Vusubuntu Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Drugs for Personal Use officially launched on 26 June, internationally recognised as Support. Don’t Punish Day, at the Sediba Church Community Hall in Tshwane’s city centre.
The launch brought together civil society organisations, public health professionals, legal experts, community leaders, human rights advocates, and people with lived experience to promote practical, evidence-based approaches that strengthen individuals, families and communities.
A Shift Towards Health and Human Rights
The coalition advocates for the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use through approaches grounded in human rights, public health, dignity and the African philosophy of Ubuntu.
Importantly, the coalition stresses that decriminalisation is not the same as legalisation. Instead, it proposes that people found with small amounts of drugs for personal use should not be arrested or given criminal records. Rather, they should be offered information, healthcare and referrals to social support services.
The coalition argues that treating drug use as a health and social issue can reduce stigma, improve access to care, strengthen communities and ease pressure on South Africa’s criminal justice system.
Its vision is “a South Africa which is safe, healthy, and inclusive” where “no person is criminalised for their drug use” and where responses to drug use are rooted in compassion, evidence, health, human rights and social justice.
Edwin Cameron Calls for Evidence-Based Drug Policy
Former Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron told attendees that decades of punitive drug policies have caused significant harm around the world.
“Stupid drug policies, misdirected drug policies throughout the world have led to catastrophe,” Cameron said.
“We know that drugs are dangerous, we know that drugs are harmful, we know that alcohol is harmful, we know that other substances, tobacco, sugar are harmful and dangerous, but we single out drugs…”
He traced many of today’s approaches to the apartheid government’s policies and the influence of conservative American administrations that championed the so-called “war on drugs”.
Cameron described the launch of the coalition as “a vital step towards rationality, of fairness, compassion, and evidence-based public policy.”
Building a Broad National Coalition
The Vusubuntu Coalition emerged from discussions held in December 2024, when advocates, legal experts, policymakers and representatives of people who use drugs explored ways to advance evidence-based drug law reform in South Africa.
During 2025, a working group developed a South African vision for decriminalisation and concluded that a broad coalition would provide the strongest platform to advocate for legislative change.
Its steering committee currently includes representatives from TB HIV Care, Lawyers for Human Rights, the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD), OUT LGBT Well-being, the Centre for Community Impact, the South African National AIDS Council’s People Who Use Drugs Sub-Sector and representatives of communities directly affected by current drug laws.
Support, Not Punish
Following the launch, the coalition described the event as the beginning of a long-term movement.
“Today is not the finish line; it is the beginning of a collective effort to foster informed dialogue, strengthen partnerships, and promote practical solutions that place people, families, and communities at the centre of South Africa’s response to drug use,” it said.
The coalition added: “Together, we are working towards a South Africa that is safe, healthy, inclusive, and where no person is criminalised for their drug use.”
By placing health, dignity and human rights at the centre of drug policy, the Vusubuntu Coalition hopes to build broader public support for reforms that it believes will create healthier communities, reduce harm and promote greater social cohesion across South Africa.
