Legendary social activist and co-founder of the Poor Flat Dwellers Movement (PFDM) Maureen Rambhadursing, will be honoured by the UAE organisation for her 20-year-long fight for social justice.
The honorary event will be on Saturday, January 28, in Durban. Representatives from PFDM’s close ally, the Legal Resource Centre, are also expected to speak in her honour.
Maureen co-founded PFDM, with Dr Desmond De Sa, in 2009. The organisation is to aid impoverished and marginalised low-cost housing tenants and owners, who faced litigation and mass evictions around the country, including recipients of social grants who had been displaced and had no alternative accommodation for themselves and their families.
Maureen's most recent success involved the restoration of the electricity to a nursing home, where thirty-two pensioners were left in the dark and without hot water when the power was turned off.
Together with the Sydenham Senior Citizens Care Team (SSCCT), Maureen negotiated with the municipality to ensure that these elderly citizens’ rights to electricity were realised.
In a statement, Justice of the Constitutional Court Leona Theron also celebrated Maureen’s accomplishments, describing her as a phenomenal and courageous woman, who dedicates her life in service of others.
“Today, more than 20 years since Maureen began her quest to achieve social justice, she remains integral to the work of PFDM. Maureen has been the force and the staying power behind this organisation.
“Maureen has created a living legacy of which she can be proud. A life of service is a life well-lived. She has worked relentlessly to ensure that the dignity of each member of society is respected and upheld. She has dedicated her life to the upliftment and empowerment of the poor. Her vision, passion, and compassion make her one of our country's great assets.
“We pay tribute to and thank her for her contribution to building this nation, and we wish her strength to continue to serve with dedication,” Justice Theron added.
Maureen, who recently turned 60 years old, told IOL that this period was one of the happiest moments in her life.
“To be able to celebrate these milestones after enduring Covid-19 over the Christmas period has allowed me actually to live again. I am so grateful for the opportunity to do more in my work. I am so grateful that even at 60 years old, I can continue the work that I do,” she said.
“The goal that we have as PFDM, moving forward, is to keep litigating in class actions and in the public interest, where the marginalised are completely disadvantaged and cannot afford these astronomical legal costs,” she added.
IOL