By: Saneliso Mlambo
March and March has announced the launch of two non-profit organisations aimed at providing legal support to South Africans and tackling social challenges, marking what founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma described as a shift from activism on social media to community service.
Addressing the movement’s media briefing on Monday, Ngobese-Zuma said the organisation had entered a new phase focused on delivering practical support. She said the era of “content creation” was over and that March and March would now concentrate on service through structured community programmes.
“The time for content creation is over. Now we’re dealing with service,” she said.
The first initiative, SA First Forum, has been registered as a non-profit organisation. Ngobese-Zuma said it would provide legal assistance to South Africans, particularly black citizens who cannot afford to defend their constitutional rights.
She argued that many South Africans had nowhere to turn when state institutions failed them, adding that the country’s police remained underfunded while communities continued to experience crime and insecurity. According to Ngobese-Zuma, the forum will litigate against the state, businesses and private individuals where necessary to protect citizens’ rights.
She said the organisation’s first legal challenge would target a recent South African Police Service circular that March and March believes is unconstitutional.
Ngobese-Zuma also announced the establishment of the M&M Foundation, another registered non-profit organisation that will focus on addressing social problems affecting mostly black communities across the country.
She said the foundation would run programmes aimed at helping young people escape drug addiction, reintegrating recovering addicts into society, assisting women seeking to leave prostitution and supporting initiatives to educate disadvantaged black children. The foundation will also work with like-minded South Africans to raise funding for education and other community development projects.
During the briefing, Ngobese-Zuma said South Africa continued to face serious social challenges, including drug abuse, human trafficking, poverty and inadequate service delivery. She argued that these issues required practical intervention alongside advocacy.
Responding to questions about allegations involving Ngizwe Mchunu, Ngobese-Zuma declined to confirm claims relating to an alleged exchange of money. She said the people who attended the meeting in question were best placed to explain what had happened and that March and March would not speculate on matters it could not verify.
The announcements signal an attempt by March and March to reposition itself beyond protest action by creating permanent structures focused on legal advocacy and community development.