Protesters will take to the streets as part of the Move One Million march on Saturday, October 14. They will march to Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and Parliament in Cape Town where Jarette Petzer, the Move ONE Million organiser will be presenting a memorandum.
The memorandum is to remind and demand the Chief Justice, the President, the Constitutional Court, and all those responsible for the governance of South Africa, about the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution that each South African citizen is entitled to, explains organisers.
The memorandum reads: “On behalf of the citizens of the Republic of South Africa, on this day, 24 October 2020, we ask the highest court in the land to hear us. Today, we the people, have gathered peacefully to remind you, the custodian of our democracy, to uphold our Constitution and all it stands for.
“Know that today, South Africans across the globe stand in unity to let the world know that our leadership has failed us. We stand here today for the acknowledgment of your responsibility to the people of this country. We stand united today for the defense and protection of the rights of all South Africans.”
It calls for the rights and freedoms of citizens as set out in the Constitution to be upheld without bias and without favouring any citizen above another.
“Hold accountable those whose actions, whether directly or indirectly, individually or in concert, have resulted in the destruction and capture of our government and our economy. Hold accountable those guilty of the mismanagement of government and public funds. Hold accountable those who are guilty of bribery and corruption regardless of their position or the office of power which they hold.
“It is only by bringing these individuals and juristic culprits to book, that we can begin the task of rebuilding our nation. And we will! If you will.”
They also call on custodians and defenders of this democracy to hold accountable all those who have denied any South African any of the rights listed in sections 9 through 37 in the Bill of Rights, regardless of their influence or position of power.
These rights include the right to privacy, the right to human dignity, freedom of assembly and the right to protest, and the rights to food, water, health care, and social assistance, which the state must progressively realise within the limits of its resources.
“To restore faith in our leadership, now, more than ever, the people of South Africa need action. We need comfort in the knowledge that we will no longer be victims of the very laws designed to protect us. Our rights must be protected. This can only be achieved by the actions of the Constitutional Court, by the way, it deals with those who are guilty of denying the majority of South Africans their basic rights and liberties,” the memorandum continues.
“Millions of South Africans have been robbed of even their most basic human rights through gross mismanagement, poor leadership, and corruption. This has to lead us to the brink of a lawless society marred by poverty, crime, and division of our people. The effects of which are felt directly by the majority of South Africans. The majority who are now out of work and who now live in squalor. To this day, the majority of South Africans have not had the ability to enjoy many of the rights bestowed upon them by this land and it is time that those responsible, are brought to book.
“The people of South Africa need to feel safe again. The people of South Africa need to feel hope again. The people of South Africa need to know that justice will prevail. The only way we can achieve this is for this Court to uphold the values of the Constitution and stand up for all its citizens.”
Picture: Facebook / Move One Million