On behalf of the Chairperson of the Board, Meluleki Nzimande and all board members (past and present), we take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all our donors, staff members, volunteers, interns, clients and members of the organised legal profession, who have contributed to the immense success of our organisation in 2024.
Through our three regional offices, in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, together with our 30 staff members at ProBono.Org, and with our network of Community Advice Centres (CAOs), we attended to 5,860 cases, serving marginalised and indigent clients.
Our strategic collaboration partnership initiatives with civil society, aimed at facilitating positive impactful relationships with various stakeholders across the board, yielded excellent benefits for ProBono.Org and its constituent stakeholders. In this regard, we would like to thank Ashraful Aid for their magnanimous and continued generous support in ensuring that all our poor and indigent clients are provided with tea, coffee and biscuits. This initiative has been supplemented by generous donations from Spiritual Chords, a local NGO, who provide all our walk-in clients with free sandwiches whilst they wait for their consultations.
A heartfelt appreciation and a special thank you to the Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) for their donation of a world class innovative IT case management system to upgrade the IT platform at ProBono.Org. They also hosted our podcast series at their offices on various legal topics to inform the community about the services that we provide and to encourage legal practitioners to sign up to do their pro bono hours through ProBono.Org.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Mr. A.B. Moosa, CEO of the Avalon Group of Companies, who provided ProBono.Org free use of all their countrywide cinemas to all ProBono.Org patrons and donors, to enjoy some insightful social justice impact movies.
Since my appointment as National Director, we have embarked on some public interest law litigation. We used our clearing house model to engage the legal services of Norton Rose Fulbright SA Inc., the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and the Office of the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, to assist Caster Semenya, our iconic athlete, to access her rights and be properly represented in the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on 15 May 2024.
Later in the year, ProBono.Org once again helped to provide the 77 victims of the fire at the Usindiso building in downtown Johannesburg with legal assistance from Norton Rose Fulbright SA Inc. Grateful thanks to Andy Chinnah, a civil rights activist, and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), who made the facility at the University of the Witwatersrand available for consultations for these victims who later appeared before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry which eventually held the City of Johannesburg liable for the disaster.
Once again, our strategic partner Ashraful Aid generously provided food to the Usindiso fire survivors for the duration of this long and difficult case.
Despite a successful outcome in favour of the victims, they continue to face hardships to vindicate their rights. For the victims and their loved ones, the road ahead is unfortunately a long one, but we continue with fortitude and fervour to secure their rights to live in equality and dignity.
We look forward to the new year and beyond, alive with its challenges and opportunities. We are hopeful that in the strides we have made in 2024, the organised legal profession, the diplomatic and the donor communities will actively support ProBono.Org and join hands with us to make Access to Justice for all a lived reality.
A special thank you to all the staff, interns and volunteers at ProBono.Org for their selfless contributions. Your efforts help to make us successful in serving humanity with dignity to live in freedom and equality.
We wish everyone a wonderful, restful and safe festive season.
We wish everyone a wonderful, restful and safe festive season.
