A call to action on South Africa’s Human Rights weekend
The Freedom Alliance of South Africa (FASA) will be holding mass marches in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern and Western Cape between 19-22 March, to commemorate South Africa’s Human Rights Day on March 21.
FASA is an organisation representing a large group of natural South Africans, and affiliated civic and social justice groups from diverse indigenous African cultural communities, who are extremely concerned with the human rights violations currently taking place and the failure of critical state institutions, statutory bodies and organisations to uphold, promote and defend the country’s free people, their sovereignty and independence, as well as the country’s Constitution.
According to FASA spokesperson, Themba Madi, the purpose of the marches will be to create awareness and promotion of our Constitution. “But is also a call to duty of all South Africans to band together and unite, to protect and promote the ideologies of our Constitution, and to hold all Chapter 9 institutions to their obligation to deliver fully on their mandate.”
The marches will take place on Saturday 19 March in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro respectively, in Pretoria on 21 March and in Bloemfontein on 22 March.
He said the marches across various provinces have a multiple purpose. “Firstly, this is an auspicious year as South Africa commemorates 25 years of our Constitution, the apex law of our democratic and free, sovereign country.
“Secondly, we aim to fairly reflect on these past 25 years. Let’s all own the good as well as the bad. We can’t and shouldn’t deny the facts and truths of these past 25 years.
“Thirdly we, the people of a free and sovereign and independent South Africa, aim to rally all South Africans behind our Chapter 9 institutions, especially the South African Human Research Commission (SAHRC), which is tasked with upholding the rights and freedoms we all should enjoy.
Role of the SAHRC
“The SAHRC is the national institution established to not only support constitutional democracy, but is committed to promote respect for, observance of and protection of human rights for everyone without fear or favour,” he said.
“However, in recent times, we have become very concerned that not all pockets of our society fairly recognise and respect these Chapter 9 institutions and the great work they do, and have done.”
Madi confirms that the SAHRC has accepted FASA’s request to be involved in its planned and approved march to its national offices in Johannesburg.
According to Madi, FASA wants to help bridge the participation of all free South Africans in how the country’s Constitution can best represent the needs and expectations of our growing and sovereign democracy.
“So, on 19 March, we hope we might be able to engage all eight SAHRC commissioners (a rare occurrence), including the Chairperson, Professor Bongani Majola, to be there on the day and to accept our memorandum, and hear from them on their respective portfolios and reflections.”
Madi, who is engaged on the plans for the event with the SAHRC CEO Advocate Tseliso Thipanyane, says FASA has been “pleasantly encouraged by the Commission’s positive response,” both with regard to planning for the event as well as the way forward.
Details of the planned marches
The Johannesburg march will be to the SAHRC and Constitutional Court.
In the Western Cape, FASA and its affiliates and the general public will be marching to Parliament to hand over a memorandum for the attention of the Speaker of Parliament, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces and parliamentarians.
In Ethekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, the marches will end, and memorandum handed over, at the City Halls of Durban and Port Elizabeth respectively, in Pretoria, at the Union Buildings and in Bloemfontein, at the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Madi concluded: “We hope that these marches will awaken South Africans to participate fully in this democracy. Their voices are needed to ensure that we pull our independent country towards a path of unity, growth, mutual respect, renewed optimism and the promises we were all sold, as embodied in this very document we are celebrating – our Constitution.”
ISSUED BY FREEDOM ALLIANCE OF SOUTH AFRICA
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: MR THEMBA MADI, FASA SPOKESPERSON
CELL: +27 81 273 6216
EMAIL: contact@fasa.org.za