JACINTA NGOBESE-ZUMA LAUNCHES SA FIRST FORUM TO COUNTER AFRIFORUM IN LEGAL BATTLES OVER IMMIGRATION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has officially launched the SA First Forum, a non-profit legal advocacy organisation that she says will provide legal support to ordinary South Africans while serving as an alternative to AfriForum in taking public-interest matters to court.
Speaking at the launch, Ngobese-Zuma said the organisation will focus on using legal action to challenge decisions and policies it believes undermine the rights of South Africans. She said the Forum’s mission is to ensure that justice is not only available to those who can afford expensive lawyers, but also to ordinary citizens.
According to the organisation, its key areas of work will include immigration law, human rights, criminal prosecutions, class-action lawsuits and legal education. The Forum says it will represent communities and individuals who believe their constitutional rights have been violated.
The organisation also announced that its first legal challenge will target a South African Police Service circular which it argues limits police officers’ ability to verify the immigration status of suspected undocumented foreign nationals during routine policing. The matter is expected to be taken to court.
Ngobese-Zuma said the SA First Forum is not a political party and has no intention of contesting elections. Instead, she said it aims to become a permanent legal institution focused on holding government departments and public institutions accountable through the courts.
The launch comes after weeks of heightened debate over illegal immigration, crime, public safety and the role of civil society organisations in influencing government policy through litigation.
🇿🇦 Do you think the SA First Forum will become a powerful legal voice for ordinary South Africans, or will it struggle to match the influence of organisations like AfriForum?