“A major and constant struggle facing civil activism in this country is that of the unequal playing field when it comes to accessing legal and advisory expertise. Having a just case with strong humanitarian and public interest grounds is very necessary, but for justice to prevail, litigation and dispute resolution needs money, and very often, lots of it.
Many a civil action entity has struggled to fund good causes and challenges, with the sad consequence of dissipation and closure, and the country’s citizens are the ultimate losers. A well-balanced democracy requires a healthy and thriving civil action sector, one that will keep an eye on matters that protect society from the abuses of maladministration, and irrational policies and practices. To remain healthy, civil activism should not be wasting its energy and time in search of donations to fund legitimate challenges.”
These words were written by Wayne Duvenage, chairman of OUTA and apply directly to our cause for the re-legalisation of Dagga for ALL South Africans.
Our appeal for donations last week was largely unsuccessful, save for 1 amazing person who signed up for a monthly debit order and 4 donations totaling R730. We are in grave danger of sounding ungrateful here but the harsh truth is that we are struggling to keep this campaign alive. Every time we post notifications of events around the country we are asked: “When are you coming to Bloemfontein?” or “You pass us by in East London” or “Why don’t you organise an event in Welkom?”… etc.
The fact is that our personal resources are now stretched to the limit as we are no longer able to earn the type of money we earned before this campaign took over our lives. We would love to be in Cape Town for the Dagga Spring Uprising March on the 21st, as this would be a great show of support for the activists who have put the event together. It would give us the opportunity to network with important people face to face. Sadly it would cost thousands of Rand to fly over a long weekend because we don’t have the time to drive the 1400km. We’ve cancelled the idea.
We plan to drive down to Durban for the Heritage Day One Love Cannabis March and at over R13 a litre for petrol plus tolls, is another stretch for our meager resources.
18,000 followers on Facebook. 5000 on our newsletter email list. 1600 on Twitter….. even if everyone gave us just R20 the boat would float for a few more months.
Please support the re-legalisation of Dagga for ALL South Africans, follow this link and choose either a once off donation or a monthly contribution.
https://daggacouple.co.za/why-donate/
It is uncomfortable for us to ask but, as we endeavour to be there for each one of you when you need our help, we hope that you will take a moment to consider what it takes for us to keep going in our quest to make your use of the Dagga plant legal in South Africa.
Thank you for listening
Myrtle & Jules
PS: Have you seen our new “Know Your Rights“ booklet?
firstly why is there no place on this site where I/anybody can e-mail you guys or to contact you??? secondly I would love to know whats going on with the court case at the moment seeing as your court case docs only go up to February 28, 2012? hope you guys read this seeing as its just a comment on a blog and not a direct e-mail or blog.