By Sihle Mavuso
The March and March movement has announced the launch of two non-profit initiatives, including a legal forum that it says will take up cases on behalf of South Africans who cannot enforce their legal rights.
Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma announced the establishment of the SA First Forum and the M&M Foundation at a media briefing in Durban on Monday night.
She said both would be modelled on civil rights organisation AfriForum, which is known for advancing the causes of Afrikaner communities.
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She said the SA First Forum would focus on human rights violations, the enforcement of immigration laws, support for criminal prosecutions where legally permitted, class actions, legal education and advocacy.
“We have established a non-profit entity which shall trade under the name and style SA First Forum, this organisation will be the vanguard of South African citizens, it will as and when necessary litigate against the State, owners of the economy and private individuals.
“The objective of this forum is to create a justice and legal buffer for South Africans who cannot vindicate their legal rights, the first case to be dealt with by this forum shall be in relation to the SAPS circular.”
Ngobese-Zuma did not provide details about the circular, but has previously criticised a SAPS directive which she claims prevents police officers from participating in operations organised by citizens or private groups.
“The people of our country continue to suffer untold pain as a result of the drugs sold to the youth. At the pace at which this country is going, this country will have no men in the near future either high on drugs or illicit drugs, young children continue to be trafficked daily, sold as sexual slaves in return for compensation. Communities still live in squalor with no basic services, sometimes no shelter over their heads.”
The second initiative, the M&M Foundation, will focus on social problems affecting black communities, youth programmes, support for people recovering from drug addiction and initiatives aimed at helping women leave prostitution.
The foundation will also seek financial support for the education of black children.
“The movement will use the foundation to engage with all like-minded South Africans to fund the education of a black child, build a safety net for the future of our country. The foundation shall trade under the name and style M&M Foundation, this entity has been registered as a non-profit organisation.
“The movement shall engage in a process of establishing boards for these entities and appoint acting chief executive officers in the next coming weeks,” she said.
March and March also criticised Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia over his engagements with members of the Pakistani community, alleging that he had not given similar attention to black South African communities in townships.
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It said South Africans had been calling for greater intervention against crime and the sale of illegal drugs.
“A minister who understands that our people continue to be ravaged by drugs and crimes committed by foreign nationals, the minister has not once met with black South African communities to listen to our cries, he does not see a need to come to our townships and listen to the people, on the other side. Yet the minister has continued to engage with foreign nationals particularly those from Pakistan and Somalia, and interestingly not from Malawi, Zimbabwe and not from Congo.”
